Natural History Story

The California Slender Salamander

The California slender salamander is a salamander species which is endemic to to California and a small part of Oregon. Its range is from central California to south-west Oregon, and also the Sierra Nevada foothills. Its lifespan is approximately 8-10 years.
It is a lungless salamander, so it breathes though its skin, this requires it to keeps its skin moist so it needs a damp habitat. This species does not live in ponds or streams, it prefers damp areas on land such as underneath logs. It feeds on small invertebrates such as spiders and beetles, which also occupy similar habitats to the salamander, it waits in ambush and catches its prey with a projectile tongue.
The salamander has some interesting methods of protection from predators such as producing a sticky secretion from its skin with the ability to glue a predator's mouth shut. It can also shed its tail as a distraction while it makes its escape, the tail will regenerate.
This species reaches sexual maturity at 2-4 years of age and reproduces once per year. They lay eggs in the fall once the rain starts, and the eggs hatch anywhere from December through to February. As the eggs are laid on land, the young are born as miniature adults and not as aquatic nymphs like many other species of salamander.
Information source: http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/b.attenuatus.html

Posted on 21 March, 2014 01:10 by jrpscott