Range
This salamander is found mostly in the southeastern United States. The range includes the Appalachian Mountains extending from Tennessee and Virginia, then south through South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi into the Gulf Coast, and western regions of Florida and eastern parts of Louisiana.
Habitats
These salamanders thrive in forested floodplains, bottomland hardwood forests, streamsides, ditches, edges of cypress swamps, and seepages. And if the weather is suitably wet, they can be found in wooded terrestrial habitats. They shelter under branches, rocks, and other covers along the sides of streams. The salamanders breed in fall and winter and the females lay eggs below the ground in some streams. They feed on a variety of insects and invertebrates.
Identification
The three-lined salamander is a slender, medium-sized stream salamander with an average length range between 4.2-6.3 inches. Their coloration is typically light yellow to tan. They have a long tail that makes up 2/3 of their total length. The three-lined salamander, as the name implies, has three black longitudinal stripes that extend from the eyes and head to the tail (usually ending where the tail begins). The belly and underside have markings of black and white marbling.
Learn more with Schechter Natural History's Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians