HERPTILES OF PEI. 
     
    
   
   
    
     INTRODUCTION . 
     
     The word herptile is used to cover the two animal classes of amphibians and 
     
     reptiles. The number of species of herptiles living on Prince Edward Island is 
     
     relatively small compared to the other two Maritime provinces. This can be ex- 
     
     plained by the difficulties these creatures would encounter in attempting to cross 
     
     the salty waters of Northumberland Strait in order to colonize the Island. Never- 
     
     theless 4 salamander, 5 frog and toad, and 3 snake species are known to inhabit 
     
     the province. No turtles have been recorded. .Because herptiles and their dis- 
     
     tribution have not been well studied on P.E.I., it is quite possible that additional 
     
     species exist. If you should discover a previously undocumented species, you could 
     
     make a very useful contribution to the scientific knowledge of P.E.I. by reporting 
     
     it at once to the Natural History Society for further verification. 
     
     In addition to natural habitats many amphibians and reptiles on P.E.I. make 
     
     extensive use of man-made habitats. These include millponds and dams, quarry 
     
     ponds left from road-fill activities, and roadside ditches. Amphibians are 
     
     adversely affected by acid rain; their eggs don't develop below pH 4. 
     
    
   
   
    
     PART I-THE SALAMANDERS 
     
    
   
   
    
     .Salamanders belong to the class Amphibia, and are the only members of this 
     
     group to have well developed tails as adults. Salamanders have no claws and never 
     
     have more than four toes on their front feet. They are often confused with 
     
     lizards, but salamanders have smooth moist skin while that of lizards is dry and 
     
     scaly. (There are no lizards found on P.E.I.) At one time salamanders were believed 
     
     to be able to survive fire, and their name comes from a mythical animal which was 
     
     supposed to have the same abilities. . ‘ ‘ 
     
    

    
     There are about 250 species of salamanders, most of which live in the Northern 
     
     Hemisphere, particularly in North America.. Very few salamanders inhabit the 
     
     tropical regions or the Southern Hemisphere. Salamanders require moisture and 
     
     seldom stray far from damp conditions. They are normally active at night, hiding 
     
     underground by day in animal burrows, under stones or litter, in rotting logs or 
     
     hollow trees. They are most often seen during the breeding season on mild damp 
     
     spring nights when they travel to ponds to mate, or in the fall when they may show 
     
     up in cellars while looking for a suitable site to hibernate for the winter. 
     
    

    
     Salamanders are carnivorous and will eat almost anything alive or dead which 
     
     is small enough to swallow. Usual foods are insects, worms, grubs, aquatic larvae, 
     
     crustaceans, molluscs, and other small creatures. Although they have no ears, 
     
     their well developed Sense of smell enables then to locate food successfully. 
     
    

    
     Eggs are laid in water singly, in strings or in 
     
     jelly-coated clumps. The eggs hatch into a larva or 
     
     tadpole. The salamander tadpole is distinguished from 
     
     a frog tadpole by the three gills on each side of the 
     
     head which remain throughout the larval stage. A frog 
     
     tadpole has only two gills on each side of the head 
     
     but these are lost soon after hatching. Salamander 
     
     larvae eventually transform into adult stages and 
     
     either move to land or remain in the water. In some salamander species eggs are 
     
     laid in moist soil and hatch into immature forms called efts. These may remain 
     
     on land for several years before returning to the water as adult newts. However 
     
     for most species it is the immature stage which lives in the water and the adult 
     
     which lives on the land. . 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
           
     
    
   
   
    
     salamander 
     
     larva 
     
    
   
   
    
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