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Grotto Salamander (Eurycea spelaea)
The Grotto Salamanders (Eurycea spelaea) was described in 1897 and was one of the first true cave salamanders known to science and from North America. The species has an aquatic larval stage which can last in excess of five years. The larvae have fully functional eyes and can be found inhabiting surface streams which are connected to subterranean streams. The larvae are known to eat fresh bat guano. Most predators in subterranean systems will eat anything they can get because such ecosystems don’t offer the volume of food items that a surface ecosystem offers. Adults are not known from outside of caves. They lose their pigment and their eyes degenerate into non-functional lumps. The eyelids of the salamander typically grow over them. This individual was photographed in Oklahoma’s Ozarks in 2014.
The grotto salamander — also called the Ozark blind salamander — is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is now considered a member of the genus ''Eurycea'', but was originally described as ''Typhlotriton speleus''. It is endemic to the United States, specifically the karst regions beneath the
Springfield and Salem Plateaus of the Ozark Mountains part of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
Its natural habitats are freshwater springs, inland karsts, and caves... more
