The Red Hills Salamander is a true hidden gem of the southeastern United States. Secretive and rarely seen, this long-bodied salamander spends most of its life tucked away in underground burrows nestled in a specific stretch of forest in Alabama. What makes it stand out? For starters, it’s one of the largest lungless salamanders in North America—and it’s only found in one small region of the world.
Size & Physical Appearance
Red Hills Salamanders are impressively long for woodland salamanders, growing up to 10 inches from snout to tail tip. Their bodies are slender, soft-skinned, and elongated, with relatively short legs and a long tail—perfectly built for burrowing.
Color-wise, they’re typically a dark brown to purplish-gray with no flashy markings, offering excellent camouflage against the forest floor. Juveniles look similar to adults but are, of course, smaller and might be a bit lighter in tone. Unlike some salamander species, there’s very little visual difference between males and females unless you’re looking at them up close during breeding season.
Habitat and Range
This salamander is a true homebody. It occurs in only a narrow strip of southwestern Alabama known as the Red Hills region. The counties where you might find it include Monroe, Conecuh, Butler, and a few others—nowhere outside this area.
Red Hills Salamanders live in steep, forested slopes of mesic ravines—think cool, moist shady hollows covered in hardwood trees. The soft, loamy soils here allow them to dig and maintain the burrows they rely on for shelter and hunting. Elevation isn’t extreme, but microhabitat (like shade and soil depth) makes all the difference. Because their range is so small and specific, habitat conservation is critical for their survival.
Diet
They’re nocturnal ambush predators, feeding mostly on invertebrates like crickets, beetles, worms, spiders, and ants. They spend much of their time sitting just inside their burrow entrances, waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander by. Their patient, sit-and-wait hunting style helps them conserve energy and stay hidden from predators.
Lifespan
In the wild, Red Hills Salamanders might live up to 10 to 15 years, which is fairly long for an amphibian. Since they’re federally threatened and almost never kept in captivity, we don’t have a lot of data on captive lifespans—but their slow metabolism and secretive habits suggest they could live quite a while if undisturbed.
Identification Tips
The Red Hills Salamander is easy to confuse with other lungless salamanders like those in the genus Desmognathus (dusky salamanders) or Plethodon (woodland salamanders). Here’s how to tell them apart:
- Size: It’s larger than most other terrestrial salamanders in the area.
- Color: Solid brownish-gray without the patterns or spots that some others have.
- Limbs: Its legs are shorter and more widely spaced than in most similar species.
- Behavior: Found at the mouth of burrows in steep slopes, not out crawling during rainy nights like many other salamanders.
If you spot something long, dark, and lurking in a hole in a shady Alabama hillside… you might just be looking at this rare species.
Fun Fact
The Red Hills Salamander breathes entirely through its skin—it has no lungs at all. That’s not unique in the salamander world, but it does mean they need moist environments to survive. Dry out the soil or cut back too many trees, and they’re in trouble fast. In fact, this species was listed as federally threatened back in 1976, and habitat loss is still the biggest threat today.
Disclaimer for the curious: Because this species is so rare, please enjoy them responsibly—observing only, without handling or disturbing. If you’re lucky enough to spot one, consider it a once-in-a-lifetime find!