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Adult, Sonoma County |
Adult, Santa Cruz County |
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Sub-adult, Santa Cruz County |
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Adult, Santa Cruz County |
Adult, Santa Cruz County |
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Max Kelley found this adult salamander eating a large rodent, possibly a Wood Rat, one late November day in San Mateo County. Here, only the rodent's long tail is still visible.
© Max Kelley |
Nancy Gribler discovered this large adult salamander eating a Banana Slug one night in her Marin County back yard.
© Nancy Gribler |
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Small aquatic larva in water, Sonoma County |
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Habitat, San Mateo County
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Habitat, San Mateo County |
Habitat, Sonoma County |
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Description |
| Size |
| Adults are 2 1/2 to 6 4/5 inches long (6.25 - 17 cm) from snout to vent, 6.7 - 12 inches (17 - 30.5 cm) in total length. |
| Appearance |
| One of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America. Large robust body with massive head, and stout limbs. Light reddish brown coloring above overlaid with copper-colored marbling. Venter is whitish or dull yellow, usually unmarked. Transformed adults have 12 - 13 indistinct costal grooves. Tail flattened from side to side. Large adults are capable of delivering a painful bite and they may produce a low rattling vocal sound when threatened. Neoteny is common; gilled adults often outnumber transformed individuals. Stream-type larvae have tail fins that extend forward only to the hind limbs, often with heavy black mottling. Gills are short, bushy, and dull red. |
| Behavior |
| Transformed animals forage on the forest floor on rainy nights. Often found on roads on rainy nights, especially with the first heavy rains of the fall, usually in November. Gilled adults are common. Larvae are more abundant than transformed adults, frequenting clear cold streams, creeks, and lakes. They can be found under rocks and leaf litter in slowly moving water near the banks or out exposed in the water at night. |
| Diet |
| Little is known about the natural history of D. ensatus. Presumably, the diet consists of anything small enough for a salamander to overpower and eat, including invertebrates and small vertebrates such as salamanders, small rodents, and lizards. Aquatic larvae probably have a similar diet to Dicamptodon tenebrosus, which consists of small aquatic invertebrates and small fish hatchlings. |
| Reproduction |
| Adults lay large, unpigmented eggs in spring which hatch in nearly 5 months. Breeding occurs in spring and fall. |
| Range |
| Endemic to California, found in two, possibly three isolated regions. Occurs from Mendocino County near Point Arena east into the coast rages into Lake and Glenn counties, south to the San Francisco Bay. Occurs south of the SF Bay from San Mateo County to southern Santa Cruz County. Does not occur in the East Bay. There is an unconfirmed sight record from Big Sur, Monterey County. |
| Habitat |
| Occurs in wet coastal forests in or near clear, cold streams and seepages. Sea level to near 3,000 ft. Found under objects near streams, under rocks in streams, and sometimes crawling in daytime. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
The species Dicamptodon ensatus was split into three species when evidence showed that salamanders from the south Bay area to Sonoma County were genetically distinct from those to the north and from animals in Idaho and Montana. The southern species became Dicamptodon ensatus - California Giant Salamander, the northern species became Dicamptodon tenebrosus - Coastal Giant Salamander, and the eastern species became Dicamptodon aterrimus - Idaho Giant Salamander.
According to a March 20th 2006 article in the Santa Cruz Sentinal, UC Santa Cruz biologist Barry Sinervo is studying a type of giant salamander that lives in a network of caves in Santa Cruz County. The salamanders, which are strictly aquatic and apparently blind, may prove to be a new species. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| None. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Dicamptodontidae |
Giant Salamanders |
| Genus |
Dicamptodon |
Pacific Giant Salamanders |
Species
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ensatus |
California Giant Salamander |
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Original Description |
Eschscholtz, 1833 - Zool. Atlas, Pt. 5, p. 6, pl. 22
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Dicamptodon: Greek - two curved, bent teeth, referring to doubly curved teeth.
ensatus: Latin - sword-shaped, possibly refers to the pointed teeth.
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Foremerly recognized as the species Dicamptodon ensatus - Pacific Giant Salamander
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Related California Salamanders |
Coastal Giant Salamander
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943.
Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998.
Lannoo, Michael (Editor). Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, June 2005.
Jones, Lawrence L. C. , William P. Leonard, Deanna H. Olson, editors. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society, 2005.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
This salamander is not included on the Special Animals List, meaning there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California according to the California Department of Fish and Game.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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