slime-and-scales's Identifications

Ensatina eschscholtzii

1) A medium-sized salamander with a small head and protuberant eyes
2) Coloring ranges from olive to brownish with dark and light speckling
3) Ventral surface is yellowish with dark and light speckling
4) No squareish cloacal lobes indicating a female.

This adult female was found in the community forest under a rock in a stream. The stream was very shallow with some shallow pools and redwood debris. Found around 6:30 pm with temperatures ranging from 50-54 degrees, clear skies and no wind. This individual was very active while handling and seemed very healthy.

Temp: 54 degrees
Humidity: 66%
Behavior: Found under the fallen bark of the surrounding redwood trees. It allowed me to pick it up to examine it and did not move at all. I initially thought it was dead from how unresponsive it was. It was placed next to the log it was found under.

Here is T. sierrae exhibiting the Unken Reflex as a defense mechanism. This specimen was found around 3:00 pm in Mariposa County, CA. The weather was pleasantly warm for the mountains (almost 70 deg F). It was sunny, not windy, and not too dry. It (and several other juveniles and adults) were found under dry rocky talus off the side of a highway, near a river.

Found on a brisk (51 deg F) morning (around 10 am). The ground was moist, there was lots of dew. Several newts were found wandering at the bottom of a stream bed, with preference to rocky areas. None were mating, but I have seen them mating before in the same area. All adults.

Adult found alive on a rainy day amongst bark and leaves of a coastal redwood (habitat in second photo). There was lots of heavy rain leading up to finding this ensatina and it was very active and alert.