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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature:  Salamanders


The word "salamander" is the name for an entire group, or scientific order, of amphibians that have tails as adults. This includes animals commonly known as newts and sirens. Most of the animals in the salamander order look like a cross between a lizard and a frog.

Newts and salamanders are similar to lizards in appearance but they are moist and squishy in texture and they don't have claws. Most salamanders are small, and few species are more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. Their heads are narrow and they have small eyes. Sirens have only two legs, but the other salamander species develop four legs as adults, with fleshy toes at the end of each foot.

Different members of the salamander order have developed different ways of breathing. Sirens keep their gills all their lives, allowing them to breathe underwater. Others, such as the tiger salamander, lose their gills as they grow older and develop lungs to breathe air.
California tiger salamanders have coloring like tigers California Tiger Salamanders are considerably large for today’s amphibians. The male can reach 8.5 inches long and the females 7 inches. The adults are stocky with round heads, protruding black eyes and long tails that curl around their body.  They are slick, glistening black with yellowish spots and stripes on their back, sides and tail.  These markings slightly resemble those of a tiger and earn the species their name.  This yellowish color also outlines their wide mouth, which gives the appearance of broad painted smile. 

The California Tiger Salamander is endemic to California. Like other salamanders, its body is low to the ground and its four legs protrude sideways from its body as though it were ready to run. The California Tiger Salamander is found in annual grasslands and open woodlands.

Like most of their relatives, the adult California Tiger Salamander is terrestrial. For six to nine months out of their year, they live in their nesting habitat in the grassy highlands.  Since they are poor burrowers themselves, the California Tiger Salamanders take advantage of the abandoned refuges of small mammals such as ground squirrels and gophers.
The Black-bellied slender salamander is a small species of salamander that is endemic to California. The black-bellied salamander is a locally common yearlong resident found primarily near drainages associated with open oak, mixed conifer forests, and mixed chaparral of the South Coast and Transverse Ranges, from Monterey County south to San Diego County and on Santa Barbara Island.

In dry weather, these salamanders retreat underground. After winter and spring rains, when ground is damp, and temperatures are favorable, they emerge and become active on the surface

The Black-bellied slender salamander is about 3.1 to 4.3 cm long. It has a worm-like body, a small head and small limbs, and a long cylindrical tail, often twice the length of its body. The Black-bellied slender salamander can have a black, tan, reddish, brown or beige dorsum often with a contrasting broad mid-dorsal stripe of similar colors. It has a purplish or black venter with fine light speckling over the entire surface.
desert slender salamanders are an endangered species in California nature Desert Slender salamanders are lungless and "breathe" through their skin which must remain moist at all times. They are about 3.1-5 cm long with a tail about the same length. The Desert Slender salamander has silver or brass-colored flecks speckle its back, and its lighter-colored belly and throat have a maroon or chocolate-brown cast. It has a relatively broad head. The pale gray brown tail sharply contrasts with the Desert Slender salamander's belly.

Approximately 500 desert salamanders are known to exist in a very limited area. It eats flies and ants and is believed to also eat arthropods. Breeding and courtship habits are unknown. Desert Slender salamanders will wind up like a spring if threatened and may flip its tail high in the air. If the predator seizes the tail it will thrash around giving the salamander a distraction to try to run away.

Only one population of desert slender salamanders has been confirmed. It exists in Hidden Palms Canyon in the Santa Rosa Mountains, Riverside County.
The Pacific Giant Salamander is found along the West Coast of North America from northern California to southern British Columbia. The Pacific Giant Salamander is found in a variety of aquatic habitats, including lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. They prefer fast moving water to slow moving water. Cover is another vital characteristic of this Salamander's habitat. Cover is used for hiding, protection from the sun, and brooding eggs.
 
Like all salamanders, the Pacific Giant has an aquatic larval stage, and a terrestrial adult stage. The adult is stout-bodied with a long tail. It is very large, usually 30 centimeters or more in length. Its tail is about 40% of its total length, and is laterally compressed as an aid for swimming. The Giant Salamander has four toes on the front feet, and five toes on the hind feet. Pacific Giant Salamanders are often identified by their coloring. They have a distinct pattern of dark blotches on a light brown almost brassy-colored background. Color is known to vary widely within the range of this species.
Frogs        Salamanders        Newts        Toads
 
 
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