Can we Save Frosted Flatwoods Salamanders?

The frosted flatwoods salamander is critically endangered and is quickly becoming the rarest salamander in North America. Without fire, this salamander will go extinct; watch to find out more!
Please consider donating to the organizations below to aid in its recovery!
- amphibianfoundation.org/index...
- wildlifeflorida.org/donations...
- longleafalliance.org/donate/
www.oriannesociety.org/take-a...
A special thanks to Pierson Hill and Mark Mandica for their assistance and valuable contributions to this video!
Attributions:
- Zach Truelock (Director of Photography, Editor, Writer, Narrator)
- John Buffington (Animation)
- Andrew Hoffman (Writer, Editor)
- Derek Dunlop (Drone footage)
- Kevin Mcleoud (Music - Fresh Air, Deep Relaxation)
- Bensound (Music - relaxation)

[@TheWildlifeBrothers]

Zach, you have absolutely outdone yourself with this one. I knew this project was coming for a little while, and you have totally blown my expectations out of the water. Frosted flatwoods salamanders are one of those species that I just never thought would get the proper spotlight that they deserve, but you have captured their story and everything that makes them so interesting in a really beautiful way. I’m not sure if many people will realize how rare and unique the footage you captured is, seeing the larvae emerge from their eggs and grow through adulthood was one of the most fascinating things I’ve seen on KZbin in a long time. As usual I’ve learned a ton and I’m looking forward to keeping up with this conservation project in the future, maybe one day I will have the chance to see one of these amazing salamanders in the wild. Great work! - Harrison and Evan

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

Thanks so much guys! This project was a long time coming and a lot of effort, and I'm proud and excited that it's finally out! -Zach

[@naturewithgabe]

Wow, the footage you captured is unreal. Great job capturing the largely unknown/unseen species.

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

Thank you so much Gabe!

[@TheWildReportOfficial]

Absolutely wonderful video guys, so much great information and footage contained within. The hatching egg/underwater footage in particular is just fantastic. You should be super proud of this project!

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

Thank you so much, this has definitely been the hardest/longest that I've worked on a video and it's my favorite that we've done so far! -Zach

[@smetlogik]

So cool to see ALL the work that's already gone into this project from various angles. Great production, Andrew, this had to take an immense amount of time and effort to put together. Very informative.

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! This video was almost entirely pulled together and filmed by Zach Truelock and it he definitely did put in tons of hours and miles to make this happen! -Andrew

[@christiangasior4244]

I’ve never even heard of these and I love mole salamanders. This is why I love salamanders, there’s so many rare types that are only found in a few areas. They’re so fragile but awesome.

[@robertgundy9606]

That was a great video that accurately portrays the problem and the solutions. This is the 1st of your videos I've seen. I'm subscribing now.

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

Thanks so much for the support!

[@noniesark]

Thank you to all involved!

[@pingletoe]

Outstanding work!

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

Thanks Mike!!

[@thefishandwildlifereport7441]

Great video!

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Great stuff. I have a lot to learn about salamanders.

[@therealisaacmoriahtboi]

What an informative video! The footage you got here is amazing!

[@inchararaj8301]

What an amazing video! This was so informative and the footage is absolutely spectacular. I learned a lot about these species in such a short amount of time and I'm curious to see what the future holds for them. I look forward to see more videos/projects like this. :)

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

Thank you so much Inchara!

[@tanknicians8839]

10/10! Awesome video

[@christiangasior4244]

Man it’s so sad how in crisis wildlife is, and amphibians are really the early indicator of trouble. The chytrid fungus alone is devastating amphibians, then we have all these really sensitive niche wetland habitats that the average person has no idea about and thinks are just a worthless swamp. People don’t even understand what vernal pools are, and they’re so important. I really love finding a target species and knowing that you need to head out at the right time and to the perfect habitat to have a chance of finding anything. But it goes to show how fragile these creatures are.

[@donthatetheplayah]

Thank you for the video and for educating me about this species

[@douglasstemke2444]

Any concerns about Chytrid in these populations?

[@jaredgorrell1108]

Chytrid is mostly a concern with frogs in the New World, as we don't have the salamander-affecting form that's in Europe and Asia... yet. I don't know that Bsal, the form that affects salamanders, has been tested on Ambystomid salamanders for its lethality. I suspect that Bsal is worse for species more dependent on breathing through their skin like Plethodontids and newts, but it's probably not good news for Ambystomids, and especially not this species given its already low numbers.

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

There is currently no evidence of disease playing any role in flatwoods salamander decline, but as Jared said, Bsal arriving to the US certainly would not be good news for them.

[@douglasstemke2444]

@@jaredgorrell1108 I actually have done some chytrid here in Indiana. We could find it in Smallmouth salamanders, but you are correct, it didn't seem to affect them. Since you have access to them, it might be a good idea to get wipes from them and send it off to a lab doing PCR testing.

[@chrislaw582]

Excellent video!!!

[@lifeunderfoot4805]

Thanks!