Some individuals are entirely black or entirely white, however. There are 12 costal grooves and the belly is black.
Marbled salamanders inhabit forests, though they spend most of their time in burrows in the soil.
They are more likely to be found close to the surface than our other ambystomids, in leaf litter, or under bark and logs. They can sometimes be observed foraging at night. During September or early October, these salamanders migrate to a dry or semi-dry vernal pool. The female deposits 50-150 eggs in a shallow depression on the bank of the dried up pond, usually under leaf litter or at the base of the roots of trees. Inundation by water is the cue which induces hatching of the eggs.