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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
Recent Examples on the Web
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 spotted salamander isn’t the only animal to form partnerships with algae.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2011
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
Among these amorous amphibians is the spotted salamander.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Mar. 2021
Interestingly, a symbiotic species of algae, Oophila amblystomatis, grows on spotted salamander egg masses.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 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
Each spring from March to early April, spotted salamanders, woods frogs, spring peepers, Jefferson salamanders and other small amphibians take a journey of one-quarter mile to seasonal vernal pools to lay their eggs.
—Jennifer Conn, Akron Reporter, cleveland.com, 21 Feb. 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1922, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of spotted salamander was
in 1922
Dictionary Entries Near spotted salamander
Cite this Entry
“Spotted salamander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotted%20salamander. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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