This is a Spotted Salamander apparently after its so-called “Big Night” breeding frenzy. Warming temperatures, melting ice, and reproductive urges have gotten these and other species of salamanders on the move this week – virtually always at night – heading toward vernal pools and shallow streams, where they swarm while laying eggs and sperm.
Concerned humans with flashlights have their own Big Nights, giving the marching amphibians a hand crossing roads and assisting the state in surveying the little troopers. (Brooklin, Maine)