Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Shenandoah National Park, a mystery lies in the shadows of stony cliffs and sinkholes. That mystery is a 3- to 4-inch-long salamander that hasn’t been found anywhere else in the world — the Shenandoah salamander.

Officials don’t know how many of the salamanders live in the 300-square-mile park, but park officials hope that will soon change. A biologist with the Smithsonian Institution, will study the salamanders at the Shenandoah National Park for the next three years to determine their population numbers and come up with a long-term management plan. The health of the salamanders is a reflection of the health of the park’s entire ecosystem.

[Read](http://www.dailynews-record.com/news_details.php?AID=11433&CHID=2 “Read the Story”) (Harrisonburg Daily News Record)