Description: 3-5 in. (8-12.5 cm). This small flattened salamander is dark in color with green or yellow lichen-like markings on back. The toes are webbed and squared at the tips.

Range and Habitat: This rare salamander is restricted to a small section of the southern mountains of North Carolina. They are found in narrow crevices on damp rock faces. Their bodies are adapted for this environment because of the flattened head and body. Can sometimes be found under stones, logs or loose bark.

Breeding: Female Green Salamanders lay 10 to 26 eggs in the walls of rock crevices in early summer. The female remains with the eggs until they hatch about three months later. Green Salamanders lack an aquatic larval stage, young emerging from eggs look like miniature adults.

Status: Green Salamanders are listed as endangered by the state of North Carolina.

Some interesting facts about the green salamander:

• Occurs in two relatively small areas in the mountains of western North Carolina.
• Usually active at night, enjoying the cooler and wetter conditions created by mountain fog and evening dew.
• Has padded toes that have square tips – all the better for climbing.
• Has a flat body that allows it to squeeze into tiny crevices, which provide both protection from predators and the high humidity it needs
• Like many other salamanders, does not have lungs but, instead, absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide through its skin.