BY JUSTINA RAMLAKHAN

Before the first colonial settlement, the area that eventually encompassed modern-day New York City was a marshland swamp with numerous creeks and streams throughout what the Lenape, the Indigenous people of the region, originally called ‘Manhatta.’ It can be difficult to imagine that wildlife once inhabited the concrete jungle. Even more surprising is that they can still be found in today’s urban environment.

Desmognathus fuscus, commonly known as the Northern Dusky Salamander, is found throughout North America, including New York City. These salamanders are members of the Plethodontidae family of lungless salamanders that receive oxygen by the absorption of water through their skin. They prefer wooded, moist habitats with running or trickling sources of fresh water.

“Urban wildlife remind us that we’re not alone and that humans are not the only species that call this place home,” said Neha Savant, a Wildlife & Fisheries Ecologist (City Research Scientist II) and member of Local 375 Civil Service Technical Guild. “However, if you want to find salamanders, I recommend you look for them outside of the city. We don’t want to disrupt their sensitive habitats because they deal with a lot of environmental stressors.”

Their delicate respiration system requires clean soil, air, and water in order to survive. These environmental conditions uniquely make the  salamanders a good indicator species as they are sensitive to pollution, climate change, and water quality.

“What’s good for salamanders is usually good for humans as well,” Savant said. “They’re good neighbors to have that tell us a lot about the health of our shared ecosystem simply by their presence or lack of.”

The salamander was the guest star of a recent episode of “Extraordinary World with Jeff Corwin” that showcased different aspects of community building and conservation in New York City.

“We’ve been trying to figure out how to tell the story of the Northern Dusky Salamander more broadly to reach a wider audience,” Savant said. “So the framing of salamanders as neighbors was already ready to go by the time Jeff Corwin’s team had reached out to us. After that, the rest was up to the salamanders!”

Savant led Corwin and his team through a park in northern Manhattan on a search for salamanders as part of the episode’s feature on urban ecologies.

“Part of the challenge of urban ecology is practicing how to talk about the connections that living beings have to their environment and how they influence each other,” Savant said. “Knowing wildlife live among us increases the quality of life for New Yorkers and can help bring people together and build community.”

Tune into Neha Savant searching for the Northern Dusky Salamander in “Extraordinary World with Jeff Corwin,” Season 1 Episode 3, now streaming on Paramount+.