Description - Head and body 4 - 5 1/2 inches (10 - 14 cm). The back is black or dark brown. The sides are speckled brownish black or gray. Length of the tail is about as long as the head and body. Both the mouth and head are very small.

Habitat - The salamander is dependent on adequate moisture. It prefers moist wooded areas or river bottoms. Can sometimes be found in moist rotten logs, under tree bark or hidden under old boards.

Breeding - It breeds from January - April. Breeding increases after heavy rains when individuals may be seen migrating to ponds. A female lays up to 600 eggs which attach themselves in small clutches to underwater debris or vegetation.

Range in Texas - The Smallmouth Salamander can be found in most of East Texas as far south as Corpus Christi.

Notes - Chiefly nocturnal, it spends most of its time hidden under debris. If threatened the salamander will raise its tail and wave it side to side.