It can reach 19 cm long and has yellow spots on its back, though some specimens have no spots at all. Their primary habitat are deciduous forests with fish-free ponds or vernal pools for egg laying and larval development. They feed primarily on invertebrates like earthworms and slugs also they will eat almost any insect they can get. They are primarily subterranean, though can be found beneath surface debris on cool, damp days. The species was first described by George Shaw in 1802 in his General Zoology or Systematic Natural History. It is the State Amphibian of South Carolina.

The Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is a mole salamander common in the eastern United States and Canada.