Nesting Behavior
There are three methods of nesting that have been documented in the females of H. scutatum, which can fall into one of two categories, solitary or communal/joint nesting. Solitary nesters lay and brood only their eggs. Communal nesting is normally one female brooding the eggs of two or more, up to 14, females of the same species. In this method the females either lay their eggs and leave the nest, or lay their eggs and stay to brood their eggs as well as those of the deserting females. About 1/3 of the nests of a population are joint nests, while between 50% and 70% of females lay their eggs in joint nests each year.
Oophagy has also been reported in H.scutatum, where one female would eat several eggs of another female before laying her eggs in a communal nest.
Read more about this topic: Four-toed Salamander
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