Homing in the Northern Dusky Salamander, Desmognathus fuscus fuscus (Rafinesque)

Abstract

Desmognathus f. fuscus were captured in 10-ft zones of a mountain stream, marked, and displaced 100 ft upstream or downstream from the zone of capture or on land 100 ft from the stream; controls were released in the zone of capture. Recaptures in the stream revealed that: the catchability of salamanders displaced in any direction did not differ significantly from controls; the control group and those that returned to the home zones tended to remain there; significantly more downstreamdisplaced than upstream-displaced salamanders returned to the home zones; many land-displaced salamanders homed but probably did not move directly to the stream by the shortest route; recaptured salamanders were not significantly different in body length from those not recaptured; salamanders that homed were not significantly different in body length from those that did not home. The homing mechanisms are unknown, but probably do not include celestial orientation.