spotted salamander
noun
: a common salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) of eastern North America with glossy black skin spotted with yellow or orange on the back
Examples of spotted salamander in a Sentence
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Fish do not exist in the pools, but rare marbled and spotted salamanders somehow find their way to the water to breed each year, experts say.
—
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Interestingly, a symbiotic species of algae, Oophila amblystomatis, grows on spotted salamander egg masses.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Mar. 2021
Now, area residents are coming out on cold, rainy spring nights, wearing raincoats and headlamps or carrying flashlights, to take in the blue spotted salamander parade (look but don't touch, Bieri said).
—Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2021
The team observed juvenile spotted salamanders in almost 20 percent of plants surveyed; many traps contained more than one, with a total count of 35 individuals.
—National Geographic, 12 June 2019
Blue spotted salamanders lay sheets of eggs on the pool floor.
—Denise Coffey, Courant Community, 17 Apr. 2018
One study in western and central Massachusetts found that roadkill rates on even relatively quiet roads could lead to extirpation of local spotted salamander populations in as few as 25 years.
—Citizen Science Salon, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2015
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Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Interestingly, a symbiotic species of algae, Oophila amblystomatis, grows on spotted salamander egg masses.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Mar. 2021
Now, area residents are coming out on cold, rainy spring nights, wearing raincoats and headlamps or carrying flashlights, to take in the blue spotted salamander parade (look but don't touch, Bieri said).
—Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2021
The team observed juvenile spotted salamanders in almost 20 percent of plants surveyed; many traps contained more than one, with a total count of 35 individuals.
—National Geographic, 12 June 2019
Blue spotted salamanders lay sheets of eggs on the pool floor.
—Denise Coffey, Courant Community, 17 Apr. 2018
One study in western and central Massachusetts found that roadkill rates on even relatively quiet roads could lead to extirpation of local spotted salamander populations in as few as 25 years.
—Citizen Science Salon, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2015
Cite this Entry
“Spotted salamander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotted%20salamander. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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