Species
Georgia blind salamander
Eurycea wallacei
A pale, eyeless salamander that lives only in the flooded limestone caves of southwest Georgia and north Florida.
Photo Bgenter (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 5 to 7.5 cm long
- Habitat
- Water-filled caves and wells in limestone
- Diet
- Tiny cave crustaceans
- In Georgia
- Limestone caves of southwest Georgia; very rare
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Pale, pinkish-white and eyeless, with red, feathery gills
- Told apart from
- Every other Georgia salamander by its lack of eyes and colour
- Where to look
- Only in flooded caves; almost never seen
Behaviour
It lives its whole life in the dark water of limestone aquifers, finding food by touch and vibration. It was first found in a well.
Why they matter
It depends on clean groundwater, the same water that feeds springs and many people's wells, so it is a living measure of the aquifer's health.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Little is known
Hatching — Little is known
Larvae — Keeps its gills for life
Maturity — Little is known
Lifespan — Little is known
Habits — Fully aquatic, in darkness
Living around people
- Keeping pollution out of groundwater protects it.
Misconceptions
- Animals without eyes are sick. It has adapted to a life in total darkness.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species breeds, and where it spends the rest of the year. The notes say what it is doing each month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer |
Where it lives
Recorded in 2 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
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