Tadpoles have a simple horny structure in place of teeth, whereas salamander larvae possess true teeth. Most species are nocturnal and all require moisture at all times. Aquatic salamander food must be alive, as they hunt by motion. Collecting egg masses is the easiest method of capture, otherwise study specific species habitat requirements and lift a lot of rocks. Frog eggs tend to be small masses that string out, and toads are either singular, attached to grass leaves, or long strings of eggs with one end attached to a stick or grass stem.
Most terrestrial salamanders are inactive during cold weather, and some hibernate.
Those salamanders living in pools, streams, or seeps, depend on the temperature of the water to regulate their activity. Snow fed mountain streams may have very few active salamanders during the fall and winter months, whereas coastal plain ponds and seeps, which hold and gather daytime sunlight, may have more activity. If you still hear peeper frogs at night, you may be able to find a salamander or two. In drought conditions, some species burrow underground and remain hidden in damp dens until the rains come. Plethodon glutinosus is especially susceptible to dry conditions and burrows several feet deep during droughts.