TRANSCRIPT:
Hello this is Dr. Tom Mullikin with SCDNR for Into the Wild.
One of the biggest wildlife movements of the year can happen on a cold, wet night when most of us would rather stay indoors. Spotted salamanders spend much of their lives underground, hidden beneath forest soil and leaf litter.
During warm winter or early spring rains, adults may travel to temporary woodland pools to breed. Because these pools often dry later in the year, they usually contain few or no fish that would eat salamander eggs and larvae.
The journey can become dangerous when a road lies between the forest and the water. So on rainy nights near wetlands, slow down and watch the pavement. What looks like an ordinary puddle may be the destination for an ancient migration happening quietly in the dark.