Ocoee Salamander

About the Ocoee Salamander

The ocoee salamander (Desmognathus ocoee) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. This salamander has a variety of colors and patterns, and got its name from Tennessee state wildflower. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater springs and wet rocks in mountainous areas of the Southeastern United States. It was first described by Nicholls in 1949. They are territorial and feed on small invertebrates. It is widely distributed in the southeastern United States and is listed as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The ocoee salamander (Desmognathus ocoee) is a small mountain dusky salamander that exhibits a wide range of colors and patterns. The species got its name from the Tennessee state wildflower and symbol Passiflora incarnata (passionflower), which is termed "ocoee" in the Cherokee tribe. The Ocoee River and the Ocoee salamander were thus named after the Cherokee word for passionflower. Some individuals have distinct red, yellow, or orange patches on their legs and cheeks. Populations in central Tennessee, northwestern Georgia, and northeastern Alabama usually have a dark... Wikipedia →