The South Side salamanders are on the march again.
Secretive but popular, the spotted salamanders emerged from underground Monday night and crawled to pools along Riverside Drive to breed.
“Pretty much a consistent stream of people came by” to see 20 to 40 swimming and cavorting salamanders, said Ralph White, manager of Richmond’s James River Park.
“I saw one of the largest salamanders I have ever seen,” White said. “It looked like a small Gila monster.”
More salamanders could crawl to the pools — providing a good viewing opportunity — if we get rain as expected tonight or Sunday night, White said.
The animals resemble shiny, dark lizards with yellow-orange spots, but they are more closely related to frogs.
“They are cool little critters” that sport perpetual smiles, said Bekky Monroe, assistant manager of Three Lakes Nature Center in Henrico County. “They have beautiful faces.”
Spotted salamanders, like licorice, have a small but devoted following. The animal is the mascot of the Friends of James River Park conservation group, in honor of the struggling population along Riverside just west of Pony Pasture Rapids.
Wildlife watchers have seen few of the creatures in recent years, so Monday’s migration was big news in the salamander-appreciation community.
The salamanders live underground nearly all year. In late winter — at night, in a warm rain — they migrate to their breeding pools.
Monday’s rainy night provided perfect conditions for the salamanders to make their move.
The question now is whether more will migrate this weekend.
rspringston@timesdispatch.com
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