I always consider it a great day when I stumble upon a Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale). I found this one under some old wood that I was cleaning up behind the barn.
A member of the mole salamander family, they are usually found in low wet places including Red Maple/Cedar Swamps -- the dominant natural community of our backwoods.
They are mostly nocturnal -- hiding during the day and feeding during the night. They are carnivores, eating a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates.
When attacked, they secrete a noxious, milky secretion from glands in their tails that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of their predators.
