(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – The sighting of a rare salamander has officials in Kane County excited.
The Forest Preserve District of Kane County says the first blue-spotted salamander has been found in a Kane County forest preserve, but they won’t say where so that it can be protected.
“It means the preserves still have secrets to reveal,” said Bill Gracer, a wildlife biologist with the distrct.
He said the discovery of an adult male and eggs indicates that breeding is occurring. The Forest Preserve has long hoped that these vertebrates had been frequenting the preserves, and now officials are certain.
Blue-spotted salamanders are an indicator of ecosystem health and suggest restoration efforts are successful. High-quality woodlands and wetlands play a critical role in the successful breeding of amphibians and invertebrates.
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