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A vernal pool is not a vernal pool if certain animal species are not present. These obligate species either breed or spend their whole lives in the pool. Some of these include Mole salamanders and wood frogs, who only come to a vernal pool during the springtime breeding season. Other obligate species such as fairy shrimp spend their entire lives in the pool. In Massachusetts, obligate species include wood frogs, four types of mole salamanders and fairy shrimp.