|
|
Article: Mole Salamanders Do It, Too, With a Little Help
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- March 25, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
Every March, as their forebears have done for tens of thousands of
Marches, swarms of mole salamanders briefly transform a pond in
Barnesville into a pool of unbridled desire.
During the first warm nocturnal rains of the year, the salamanders
leave their homes on woody hillsides and scuttle as far as one-
quarter mile, following a trail of chemical clues to the pond for a
night of reproductive revelry.
But those ancient rituals and upper Montgomery County's mole
salamander population could be at risk because the state built a
simple curb six years ago along Route 109, trapping many of the
little amphibians as they try to cross the road. They may be dying in
huge numbers, crushed under the ...