Image

Credit
MDC
Right to Use
Photo by MDC, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image

Credit
MDC
Right to Use
Photo by MDC, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image

Image

Body
- Through the darkness I sneak,
- Without a croak or a creak.
- It’s a puddle I seek,
- Where I’ll dance cheek to cheek.
Spotted Salamander
On rainy spring nights, spotted salamanders creep from their burrows in the woods and crawl to shallow, fish-free ponds. There, males and females swim together — some biologists call it a dance — then females lay globs of eggs on underwater plants. In a month, legless baby salamanders hatch out. Unlike their air-breathing parents, the little ones have gills and breathe water. By summer, they’ve grown legs and lungs, and leave the water to find a burrow of their own.
Also In This Issue
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Join Xplor for a guided tour of wet, wild, and wonderful wetlands.
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Motivational messages from a three-toed box turtle.
And More...
This Issue's Staff
Artist – Matt Byrde
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Designer – Marci Porter
Art Director – Cliff White
Editor – Matt Seek
Subscriptions – Marcia Hale
Magazine Manager – Stephanie Thurber
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Designer – Marci Porter
Art Director – Cliff White
Editor – Matt Seek
Subscriptions – Marcia Hale
Magazine Manager – Stephanie Thurber