Here are some pictures of Kurt's new friend he made out in the wood pile this morning.
This is a dicamptodon ensatus, or "California Giant Salamander". From Wikipedia: The adult California Giant Salamander can reach up 17-30.5 cm (6.7-12 inches) in total length. Like all salamanders, the California Giant Salamander has four toes on the front feet and five toes on the back feet. The California Giant Salamander's tail is around 40 percent of the total length of the salamander and is laterally compressed. The head, back, and sides of the salamander have a marbled or reticulate pattern of dark blotches on a light brown or brassy-colored background. They have a broad head with a shovel-like snout and a fold of skin across the throat called the gular fold. The eyes are medium in size and have a brass-flecked iris and a large black pupil. This species is one of the few salamanders capable of vocalizing.
2 comments:
Cool! We use to catch those up in the mountains when I worked at camp. You can hold them in your hand and they'll just crawl around on you. Very fun. I think we called them mountain Salamanders, but I'm not sure that's there exact name.
Wow, that's pretty cool. You guys really are mountain folk out in the country now. How fun!
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