Abstract: Female redbacked salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) show plasticity in age at maturity in that most females mature at the end of their third year, but some (10.4%) mature at the end of their second year.  All males, however, mature at the end of their second year.  Previous studies have demonstrated competitive and sexual selection advantages enjoyed by larger males, but the fact that males mature early and at a relatively small size suggests that there exists a mechanism which is overriding selection pressure for later maturity at a large size in males.  This study examined the question of whether males forage more frequently, and under riskier conditions, than females.  If so, it would be expected that they would have higher mortality than females and thus individuals that mature early would be favored by selection.  A field mark-recapture study, controlled field experiment, and lab experiment were conducted.  In the mark-recapture study, more females than males were captured during night foraging periods.  Females in the field experiment showed more activity than males during day searches, although females housed with other females were more active than those housed with other males.  In the lab experiment, males were more active overall than females, regardless of risky conditions such as food, moisture conditions, or the presence of the scent of a predator.  This study suggests that while males may be more active than females on a small scale, females are more active on a larger scale, and this greater level of activity may be due to the need for larger amounts of resources required for reproduction.