Minnesota is home to 19 species of amphibians, including a variety of frogs, toads, and newts. Among them are salamanders—a fascinating group of amphibians often mistaken for lizards due to their elongated bodies and tails. Despite their lizard-like appearance, salamanders are much closer relatives of frogs.
Salamanders can live in a range of habitats—some prefer a fully aquatic life, while others split their time between land and water or live entirely on land. Their diets are just as diverse as their habitats, ranging from insects, worms, and slugs to snails or anything else small enough to catch.
Now, let’s meet Minnesota’s 7 salamander species and learn what makes each one special.
7 salamanders in Minnesota
Minnesota is home to 7 salamander species: the blue-spotted salamander, four-toed salamander, eastern tiger salamander, eastern newt, mudpuppy, spotted salamander, and the red-backed salamander.
1. Blue-spotted salamander
Scientific name: Ambystoma laterale
The blue-spotted salamander, one of Minnesota’s salamanders, has a dark bluish-black body covered in lighter bluish-white speckles and spots. This species is considered a mole salamander and is endemic to the great lakes region of the country. In Minnesota you’ll find blue-spotted salamanders in eastern and northeastern areas of the state in deciduous and coniferous forests.
While not deadly to humans, blue-spotted salamanders are poisonous just like other salamanders. They are able to secrete poisonous through their skin as a defense against predators. Their bright colors are also a warning sign that they are poisonous.
The blue-spotted salamander has a long tail and can reach 3-5 inches in length as an adult, they are considered somewhat slender for a salamander.
2. Four-toed salamander
Scientific name: Hemidactylium scutatum
The four-toed salamander is often mistaken for the redback salamander, but the four-toed salamander has a white underbelly sprinkled with black dots. On top they are orange-brown or red-brown in color.
As a self defense against predators they are able to drop their tails as a distraction or even play dead. They’re found in extreme eastern Minnesota, as well as much of the eastern half of the country.
3. Eastern tiger salamander
Scientific name: Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum
Tiger salamanders are one of the larger species of salamanders in MN (Minnesota), growing to an average of 6-8 inches in length. However some specimens have grow to over a foot long, one was recorded at 13 inches. They’re found in much of the United States, including the all throughout Minnesota.
They spend much of their lives burrowed underground making them difficult to spot, but they live in a variety of habitats including forests and even grassy open fields. Like most other salamanders, tiger salamanders prefer a moist habitat. Also like other salamanders, the tiger salamander eats small insects and invertebrates. Because of their slightly larger size they are even able to take down small frogs and smaller salamanders.
4. Eastern newt
Scientific name: Notophthalmus viridescens
The eastern newt is a very common salamander in the eastern half of the United States. The subspecies of the eastern newt found in Minnesota is the central newt, they are found in a few small regions in the middle of the state.
Eastern newts live in deciduous and coniferous forests as well as bodies of water with muddy bottoms. They are between 2.5 and 5 inches in length as adults and feed on insects, fish, eggs and larvae, snails, slugs, and worms.
5. Mudpuppy
Scientific name: Necturus maculosus
The mudpuppy is common throughout most areas of central-east and northeast United States. In Minnesota you’ll find mudpuppies at the bottoms of ponds, streams, lakes, and other bodies of water, but they aren’t widespread in the state and only found in a few areas.
Mudpuppies are totally aquatic salamanders but are equipped with both lungs and feathery red aquatic gills, though the lungs are mainly used to help with buoyancy as they never leave the water. They are one of Minnesota’s largest species of salamanders and can reach up to 16 inches in length as adults, though most are closer to 11-12 inches.
6. Spotted salamander
Scientific name: Ambystoma maculatum
The spotted salamander is a medium to large salamander that grows to between 6 and 9 inches in length as an adult. The females do grow larger than the males however. They have thick, heavy bodies with a rounded snout. Spotted salamanders are dark brown or black in color with yellow or orange spots all over their bodies.
Spotted salamanders around only found in the eastern half of the United States, and are quite rare in Minnesota. There have been breeding spotted salamanders recorded in Nemadji State Forest. They live hardwood or mixed forests and prefer sticking close to stagnant water sources and swamps.
7. Red-backed salamander
Scientific name: Plethodon cinereus
The red-backed salamander is commonly found throughout the Great Lakes region, New England, and Northeast United States. This includes Northeastern Minnesota. They are very common within their range and are completely terrestrial salamanders.
Red-backed salamanders are on the small side and only reach 2-4 inches as adults. They stay hidden in forests and wooded areas underneath rocks, logs, and anything else they can find.
This species feeds mainly on insects but is opportunistic and will eat other types of invertebrates. There are different color morphs of the red-backed salamander, so they may also be yellow-backed, orange-backed, or even white-backed.
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