Where have the salamanders gone?

Question

I figured you pet people would be able to answer this question better than the environment people. Keep in mind I do not plan to capture a salamander for a pet, I just want to know where they are. :(

I live in central Indiana, where, according to a couple up-to-date books and a few websites, at least 5 species of salamanders should populate. My backyard is a perfect place for a salamander population, as it is damp woodland with many downed trees and branches with a thick creek running right through it.

But no matter where I look, I simply can't locate any salamanders. The conditions are perfect for mudpuppies, southern two-lined salamanders, and especially four-toed salamanders. I haven't seen a single one since I moved here 4-5 years ago.

So where have the salamanders gone?

Answer 1

Maybe there's a better place plus they could just be hiding, but anyway just leave them alone.

Answer 2

I'm guessing pollution may be a problem in your area. Salamanders, along with all amphibians, are really susceptible to any sort of chemicals because they take in everything through their skin. So I'd look into what sort of pollutants are in the soil in water. A simple pH test of the water in the area can tell you if the water is too acidic or basic.

Answer 3

They all own condos in Florida now...most of them are in forclosure

Who do you think is responsible for the sub-prime mortgage mess?  I mean salamanders have a terrible track record on paying back mortgages, but did that stop the lenders? NOOOOO!!!!

Personally I blame the GECKO Gecko.....

Seriously, I think the answer to your question lies in the phrase "My backyard".   Unless you are living in a new housing development this place has probably been urbanized since the housing boom right after WW2, possibly before.  Unless you live WAY out in the country and are using the phrase loosely, that means you are living in a developed area that is at most a 1/4 acre lot...probably less.  Your backyard is probably about 1/3 of the lot I'm guessing...that means you are wondering why you don't have a booming population of wild animals on a lot that is 1/12 of an acre in size and surrounded by humans and developed areas.

That is WAY to little space and WAY to much humanity around for ANY wild animal. Except for toads, birds, squirrels, the odd raccoon,  or the occasional opossum,  wild animals won't live near people...cars, pets, Animal control people, teenage boys...all of these are really nasty upper level predators as far as your salamanders would be concerned.  Assuming any had survived the construction of your house and the neighboring houses...(backhoes and foundations and the building of sidewalks and streets are not kind to salamanders)  they would have to deal with getting run over by cars, eaten by pet cats and dogs, caught and killed by boys, poisoned by insecticides, etc.

Even if somehow they were able to do that, why do you assume your yard would be large enough to support a population of salamanders? Animals, especially predators, need a pretty large range in which to hunt and find prey.

Just because an area is "outside" does not mean that it is wild. Far from it.

So unless your backyard is a couple of acres in size and pretty isolated from human contact, my guess would be all the people around either killed them off or scared them off.