Red Salamander Diet
The red salamander, or pseudotriton ruber, is native to parts of the eastern United States including Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Red salamanders can be found on land or in the water during most of the year, but live in the water during the winter months. The red salamander is a carnivore, feeding on animals and insects rather than plants. It uses its long tongue to snatch its prey off the ground or out of the water.
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Slow-moving Amphibians
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Because they are slow-moving amphibians, red salamanders usually feed on slow-moving prey such as snails and slugs. Because salamanders tend to be slow-moving amphibians, they usually eat slow-moving insects or other amphibians such as worms, other salamanders, and snails.
Feeding Habits
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Salamanders usually feed in moist conditions such as after rainfall. Red salamanders often feed during the nighttime hours and hide during the day. Red salamanders often hunt for prey during wet conditions such as after rainfall.
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Insects
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Red salamanders feed on a variety of insects including dragonflies, fruit-flies, maggots, and aphids. Red salamanders often feed on small insects such as spiders, flies, maggots, cockroaches, aphids, crickets, grasshoppers, and insect larvae.
Animals
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Red salamanders feed on other aquatic or semi-aquatic aniamls such as frogs and earthworms. Red salamanders commonly feed on earthworms, snails, slugs, small frogs, tadpoles, and centipedes. Larger red salamanders have been known to eat small fish and crayfish.
Other salamanders
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Red salamanders have been known to eat other species of salamader. The red salamander has been known to prey on other, smaller species of salamander.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images snail image by martini from Fotolia.com Rain image by RandomShots from Fotolia.com libellule image by Michele Campini from Fotolia.com small frog image by __PeTe__ from Fotolia.com salamander image by Wojciech Gajda from Fotolia.com
