New Jersey’s Amphibious Amazons
by Christine Healy, Wildlife Biologist
I felt confident, after the mild conditions that we experienced in January and much of February, that March would skip the “lion” phase of the well-known adage and come in and out like a lamb. I was clearly incorrect…
In anticipation of the amphibian migration, I thought it would be fun to write about some of the most unique adaptations displayed by three early-breeding vernal pool obligates that we target during our Crossing program. These species require access to temporary wetlands in order to complete their life cycles and are thus at greater risk of motor vehicle collisions than other amphibians that don’t rely on these resources. As I started drafting this, I kept thinking about parallels between the behaviors that I chose for each species and superheroes/villains whose background and abilities relate. And so, I’m kicking off this series with our very own Wonder Woman, the Jefferson Salamander.
