As its name suggests, it lives in the Red Hills area — a narrow band of forested, steep slopes with moist, loamy soil and limestone beneath the surface. This secretive salamander is a true homebody, spending nearly all of its life hidden away in underground burrows, emerging only at night or during very wet conditions. It’s one of the few salamander species in North America that digs its own burrows, making it quite unique.

What makes the Red Hills salamander stand out is its long, slender body and unusually short limbs. It can grow up to 11 inches (about 28 cm) long, making it one of the longest lungless salamanders in the world. That’s right — it has no lungs! Like others in its family, it breathes entirely through its skin and the lining of its mouth, which means it needs to stay moist to survive. Its skin is dark brown or grayish, smooth and shiny, blending well with the damp soil and leaf litter of its forest home.

Red Hills salamanders are entirely terrestrial — they don’t live in water like many other salamanders. Instead, they spend their lives in burrows on north-facing slopes, where it’s cooler and moister. They feed mostly on insects and small invertebrates like beetles, ants, and worms, which they catch by waiting just outside their burrow entrance at night. They’re very shy and sensitive to disturbance, which is one reason why they’re rarely seen in the wild.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

United States

EN

2021

Alabama