Shenandoah Salamander

Plethodon shenandoah

One of North America's rarest salamanders, found only on three mountaintops in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park.

Checking teacher reviews…

Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the Shenandoah Salamander

Shenandoah salamanders are 2.5 to 4 inches long, dark brown to black with a red or bronze stripe down the back. They live only on three mountaintops in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, at about 3,000 feet or higher, in moist soil pockets among rocks on dry, steep slopes. At night they eat mites, flies, small beetles, springtails and other tiny soil animals.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Plethodon shenandoah^[1]
Size: 2.5 to 4 inches long.^[1]
Lifespan: Up to about 25 years.^[1]
Diet: Mites, flies, small beetles, springtails and other tiny soil invertebrates.^[1]
Habitat: Moist soil pockets and rocks on steep, rocky mountain slopes.^[1]
Where it lives: Three mountaintops in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.^[1]
Group life: Solitary and territorial. Nocturnal.^[1]
Babies: About 13 eggs every other year; young hatch as tiny adults.^[1]
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021).^[2]

Fun facts

Shenandoah salamanders have no lungs.^[1]
Mothers stop eating to guard their eggs.^[1]
They live on only three mountaintops in the world.^[1]

Vocabulary

amphibian: A cold-blooded animal, such as a frog or salamander, that usually starts life in water and has moist skin.
lungless: Having no lungs; some salamanders breathe through their skin.
endemic: Found naturally in only one place.
nocturnal: Active mainly at night.
critically endangered: A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Reptile Discovery CenterSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Shenandoah salamander.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/shenandoah-salamander (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Plethodon shenandoah (Shenandoah Salamander).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17629/1437677 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

More Salamanders

AxolotlAmbystoma mexicanumA Mexican salamander that keeps its feathery gills and stays in the water its whole life, famous for regrowing lost body parts.Barred Tiger SalamanderAmbystoma mavortiumOne of the longest land salamanders in North America, a striped burrower of western grasslands and deserts.California Tiger SalamanderAmbystoma californienseA big black salamander with yellow spots that lives in ground-squirrel burrows and breeds in seasonal pools in central California.Eastern NewtNotophthalmus viridescensA small newt with red, black-ringed spots that lives in water, then on land as a red 'eft,' then in water again.Eastern Red-backed SalamanderPlethodon cinereusA small, lungless woodland salamander that breathes through its skin and can drop its tail to escape.Emperor NewtTylototriton shanjingA highly toxic, black-and-orange newt with bony head ridges from the mountains of western China.HellbenderCryptobranchus alleganiensisThe largest salamander in the Americas, a flat, wrinkly river giant that breathes mostly through its skin.Japanese Giant SalamanderAndrias japonicusThe world's second-largest salamander, a 5-foot river dweller from Japan that can live more than 70 years.Long-tailed SalamanderEurycea longicaudaA yellow-orange salamander with black spots whose tail makes up about 60 percent of its length.Seal SalamanderDesmognathus monticolaA lungless stream salamander of the Appalachian Mountains that breathes through its skin and hides under rocks in shallow water.