This chart was originally compiled by Michael Iacchetta using salamander length data from the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas Database in April of 2014 and was updated in 2025. The total length of a salamander is measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail. The lengths of large adults of each Vermont species were averaged to determine their average adult length. Salamander species were organized by average total length, and this average includes the largest 10% for each species. For species with sample sizes over 1000, only the largest 1% were included. Those species are marked with an asterisk after the species name. The hybrid groups associated with Jefferson and Blue-spotted Salamanders were separated from the pure individuals of each species.
The lengths in the left numerical column are those you would expect for mature adults of these species in Vermont. The right numerical column shows the number of individuals that made up the sub-sample for that species. The right numerical column shows the number of individuals that made up the sub-sample for that species in the 2013 analysis. The lengths in the middle are those for the largest, reliably-documented frog of that species from Vermont. Can you document a larger one?
| Length Data for the Longest (Top 10%) Adult Salamanders in Vermont (inches) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Average Total Length | Longest Reported | Sample Size | Person(s) Who Recorded Longest |
| Four-toed Salamander | 3.2 | 3.4 | 9 | Emily Menzel & UVM Class |
| Eastern Red-backed Salamander* | 3.9 | 4.3 | 78 | Irene Linde & Warren Ellison |
| Northern Two-lined Salamander | 3.9 | 5.4 | 73 | Jeff Lizano & Winsor Lowe |
| Eastern Newt* | 4.2 | 4.7 | 48 | Jim Andrews |
| Northern Dusky Salamander | 4.5 | 5.0 | 45 | Jim Andrews, Matt Marcelino, & Cindy Sprague |
| Blue-spotted Salamander | 4.1 | 4.7 | 6 | Jim Andrews |
| Blue-spotted Salamander group | 6 | 6.6 | 5 | David Hoag |
| Jefferson Salamander | 6.6 | 6.9 | 7 | Steven Faccio |
| Jefferson Salamander group | 6.9 | 7.1 | 14 | Jim Andrews |
| Spring Salamander | 7.3 | 7.7 | 22 | Take PART |
| Spotted Salamander* | 8.5 | 8.9 | 27 | Kaitlin Friedman, Tina Centofante, & Stacy Monahan |
| Mudpuppy | 13.1 | 14.8 | 74 | Isaac Chellman, Kiley Briggs, & Garret Langlois |
* For this species, as the sample sizes were over 1000, the largest 1% were included.
