Spring has arrived; the salamander says so

One sure sign of spring around here is the eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) that I start seeing under the litter in the woods. I spotted this one last Sunday actually.

They normally have a long tapering tail (for example, this one). The blunt tip of the tail of this one indicates that it lost the rest of it to a predator.

May it survive even longer and reproduce!