Salamander

I found a Northern Two-lined salamander in Connecticut. Thomas, my cousin on Roxana's side, who is 11 actually caught it in a stream in front of the Saad's house. He really likes salamanders and frogs. When we left Connecticut I brought it home in a blueberry container with aluminum foil on the bottom and a paper towel on top. After I got home I put it in a different container so it would not escape, like the other one that was in there for some time.

When it was in the container I checked on it and opened the container so it could have fresh air. I think the coolest thing about it was that it could stay out of the water for a long time. The Northern Two-lined salamander can live where there is no water running. Their eggs can be found on the underside of rocks on stream bottoms. They eat a variety of invertebrate. They live throughout the eastern United States, and a lot of them are in Connecticut. They are not protected by Connecticut, and that is good for me because I brought one here.

When I looked at my salamander I saw:
He's about two inches long.
He's yellow and black.
He has black lines down his back.
He's mostly yellow.
He has black sports.
He has four toes on the back legs.
He has three toes on the front legs.
He's mostly sedentary.
I don't know the real gender of the salamander.

I had it for five days. Robin took me to a creek at the bottom of our street and release him there.

The Kidlet, Salamander 12-1-11. Color Pencil, pen and marker on Cardstock, 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches. USA

The Kidlet, Salamander 12-1-11. Pencil on Cardstock, 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches. USA

Photo by the Kidlet.