Normally these salamanders live underground in burrows made by other animals, such as ground squirrels, prairie dogs, etc. During the wet season, they can be found under surface objects like rocks, logs, boards, or old fence posts during the day. During rains at night, they often wander about on roadways. I believe they are attracted to roads because these surfaces often hold tiny puddles of water, in which they soak to absorb moisture through their skin. They do not drink with their mouths. I have often seen them sitting motionless on road surfaces on rainy nights. When they move, they move very slowly. As a result, many of them get run over by automobiles.

Cool info on the salamander,thanks. I'm mostly a snake guy,but these salamanders are neat! There is one acre of land right behind my house with a small shallow pond and plenty of rodent holes,prairie dogs are common here as well. I'm defineteley going to keep an eye out for more of these this year. This one is already taking mealworms from forceps. Kevin

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