| This salamander gets its common name from the sawtoothed orange band along its back. It often occupies upland forests, where it can is found under large stones or logs. Zigzag salamanders differ from our other salamanders because they reproduce on land not in water. The female lays a few eggs in a nest under a decaying log or in a moist areas under stones. She coils her body around the developing eggs, brooding them to keep them moist. Most remarkably, the embryos pass through a larval stage while still in the egg. When they hatch, terrestrial juveniles emerge. This species is a member of the family Plethodontidae, commonly known as lungless salamanders. They have no lungs, but they get all the oxygen they need by transfering it across moist body surfaces including the skin and mouth lining. |
