Plethodon glutinosus
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The northern slimy salamander (Plethodon glutinosus) is a species of terrestrial plethodontid salamander found throughout much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States. The northern slimy salamander is called "slimy" because it produces sticky slime from glands on its lower back and tail in order to defend itself from predators. It is also sometimes referred to as the viscid salamander, grey-spotted salamander, slippery salamander, or sticky salamander, depending on which source is consulted.
The northern slimy salamander is typically an overall black in color, with numerous silvery spots or gold spots across its back. It is usually 12–17 cm (4.7–6.7 in) in total length (including tail), but can grow to 20.6 cm (8.1 in). Males are not easily distinguished from females, though females tend to be slightly larger. It has 15-17 costal grooves.
P. glutinosus is one of 57 species in the genus Plethodon and was one of the first of its cogeners to be described. The northern slimy salamander is one of 14 species within the Plethodon glutinosus complex. Species within this complex are very similar but vary in habitat range, body size... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Slimy Salamander sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 86 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 36 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February to April
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Slimy Salamander in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December and January, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Slimy Salamander sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in our data
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Northern Slimy Salamander sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Plethodon
The closest relatives of the Northern Slimy Salamander that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (genus Plethodon, Woodland Salamanders) are Red-cheeked Salamander (about 50%), Southern Red-backed Salamander (about 40%) and Southern Zigzag Salamander (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Slimy Salamander is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (86 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
