Ambystoma talpoideum can be found in moist forests and wetlands, with populations scattered throughout the central and southeastern United States. Like all salamanders in family Ambystomatidae, they have short, stocky bodies with prominent costal grooves and large, flattened heads with wide snouts. Their tails are laterally flattened, sometimes finned, and feathery gills are apparent in both larvae and adults that have not undergone metamorphosis.
