Spring Salamander

The spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders). It is found in Canada and the United States. The genus, Gyrinophilus, means "tadpole lover" and refers to the long period of time it spends as a gilled larva before maturing. The specific epithet, porphyriticus, is Latin from Greek, meaning the color of porphyry, a purple stone, and this salamander has also been called the purple salamander. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, freshwater springs, inland karsts, and caves. In addition to insects, spiders, mites, millipedes, centipedes, slugs, snails, annelid worms, and other small invertebrates, the fairly large spring salamander may also consume smaller stream dwelling salamanders and their eggs, such as two-lined and dusky salamanders, as well as pygmy, ocoee, Jordan's, southern red-backed, southern Appalachian, and red salamanders. Wikipedia →

30–40% of wildlife watchers report a Spring Salamander sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, based on 340 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.