Blue-spotted salamanders depend on temporary pools of water that fill with snowmelt and rain in early spring. This is where the salamander lays eggs that hatch into gilled larvae with a rudder-like tail for swimming. Because these vernal pools dry up over the summer, they do not support fish that could eat the salamander’s eggs, larvae, or compete for food resources. Before the pool dries, salamander larvae metamorphose by developing lungs, reabsorbing gills and caudal tail, and undergo many other morphological changes. The young salamanders then disperse into the surrounding forest to start a terrestrial life.
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