Our seven salamanders are getting a new habitat!
Salamander breeding season is here! It’s been a while since our last frosted flatwood salamander update, so we’re slithering by to give you a behind-the-scenes peak and let you know what’s been going on with this important conservation breeding program.
We acquired our herd or congress of salamanders (Clearly, they have lots of pressing matters to discuss) back in June 2022. Due to severe habitat loss and climate change, this Florida native species’ increasingly small population is at risk of becoming extinct within the next decade. To aid in the amphibians’ recovery, our Zoo partnered with the Amphibian Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with other AZA-accredited organizations, to create a conservation breeding program and produce a safeguard population for this critically endangered species.
Our salamanders got a checkup before heading to their new home.
November 2023 marked the start of their first breeding season with us. While our salamanders didn’t produce any eggs, our team learned a lot about how we can improve our salamanders’ wellbeing and increase the likelihood of successful breeding. For example, rather than pairing off coupled salamanders into individual habitats, our team has created one big home for all seven to interact together.
Their new home is filled with live plants from their native range, a rock pond, sloping substrate to mimic their natural habitat and an automated mister for ideally timed rain showers. What more could a little sally ask for!
With lots of specifications needed to breed, it can be tricky to obtain the perfect conditions for these guys to successfully reproduce. In fact, only one other facility has been able to successfully breed this species before. But, we are hoping to be the second!
Since their move into their new home, our salamanders have already been spotted making burrows and cuddling up together inside. We plan to get more cameras so we can see what they’re up to and if there are any breeding behaviors observed. Our team will also be peeking under leaves throughout the season (from now until March 2025) to look for any eggs that may have been laid.
We can’t wait to see what developments happen with our herd of ‘manders in the coming months, and we’ll be sure to keep you looped in.
Special thanks to Flammio Financial Group, Stifel-Garvin Wealth Management Group, Artemis IT, and Jim and Darleen Barfield. Their generosity makes our work possible!
Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.