This is the egg mass I found in my backyard creek here in Northern Virginia. I know spotted sallies prefer vernal pools, but I wonder if there had been a pool here in the past that no longer exists due to the neighborhood being built (though that was 18+ years ago). But we have other types of sallies here, of course, and red spotted newts. The herp guy who was here yesterday for Henry's party (who has an adult female spotted sally) took a look at this and said he did think it's from a spotted...

Anyway, here it is:



I plan to keep them for a little while after they hatch, then return most of them to the creek (where they will likely be decimated by crayfish, alas). But this time, I think I may keep a few and try to raise them, maybe even make a pet of one.

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Amy

Phew, IDing egg masses is something I've never attempted. Nobody's ever asked before, and I've never seen amphibian eggs in person. They look like they could be spotty eggs from what I've seen on Google, but I haven't yet compared them to any other local species. So far my assessment as to whether or not they're spotted salamander eggs is "Sure, why not"

Either way, that's a pretty cool find! Good luck with them, I hope they hatch. It'd be cool if they're spotties too, they're an awesome species. Pretty easy to keep too.

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Was the eggs the door prize? Keep us posted as to what they turn out to be.

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Colleen

LOL, Colleen, no I wasn't giving them to anyone!!

Matt, I have hatched out one of these egg masses before (it sure looked the same, anyway), but didn't keep the larvae. Though I did have a 4-H club here last year taking a census of one spot in my creek, and the guy (who had been to a Virginia herpetology training camp) found some larvae that he ID as spotteds... But we'll see what happens.

I will definitely keep you updated!

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Amy