Focus Species Forestry - Maine Audubon

Northern Redback Salamander
Distribution: Nova Scotia to eastern Minnesota, south to Kentucky and
the Smoky Mountains
Maine Focus Region: Statewide
Home Range/Movement: Up to 260 sq. ft., individuals often recaptured
under the same rock or log
Food: Carnivorous, feeds on insects and other invertebrates found in the
leaf litter
Special Habitat Needs: Forests with well developed leaf litter layer and
woody debris
Management:
Uneven-aged management or even-aged stands over 50-60 years
old provide the best redback habitat.
Comments: Look for this small (2-4 in.) salamander under branches, logs, or brush piles. The redback phase has
dark sides and a red-brown dorsal stripe, while the “leadback” color phase is typically dark gray or brown
throughout. Studies in New Hampshire found that the total biomass of redback salamanders was about twice that of
breeding birds and equal to that of mice and shrews. By preying on soil organisms, redbacks probably play an
important role in regulating decomposition of organic matter and are an important food source for other animals.
Habitat Use:
Aspen-Birch
Forest Ecosystems
Northern
Hardwoods Oak-Pine Hemlock Spruce-Fir
N. White
Cedar
R S I M R S I M L R S I M L I M L R S I M L I M L
Special-value
Habitats
Riparian/
Wetland Vernal
Forest Pool
R Regeneration and seedlings Mx Mixed conifer-deciduous Focus habitat
S Saplings and small poles U Understory present Other habitat
I Intermediate-aged forest C Cavity tree or snag Little/no use
M Mature forest
L Late-successional forest
References: Boone and Krohn 1998, DeGraaf and Yamasaki 2001, Witham 1999
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Focus Species Forestry