I've got amphibians on the mind lately and salamanders in particular.  Must be the spring weather change that's playing with my zoological fancies.  The little (and big) caudates are popping up with increasing frequency around here.  Although these fascinating creatures do respond to changing temperatures, especially in regard to breeding behavior, we sometimes overlook our own habits in these matters.  As the Northwest rains begin to let up  we humans start to spend more time outdoors hiking and raking about in our gardens.  So guess what?  We encounter more wildlife.  Gee, what a concept!  And that is exactly the circumstance that led to the article below on the Long Toed Salamander.  Enjoy.      

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Get some exercise and Walk on the Wildside

The Long Toed Salamander   

Digging about in your Northwest garden from time to time you have probably come across a slender black salamander remarkable for the beautiful metallic gold stripe running down the length of its back and on to the tail.  Now you’d think the obvious name for this amphibian would be Gold Back or Slender Gold or something at least descriptive of the way the little guy looks.  But nooooo!  The lineatic gurus in charge of salamander appellation gave this guy the title of Long Toed Salamander all because of rather extended fourth toe it has on its hind feet.  While I admit that toe is somewhat of a distinctive feature of this caudate I would still vote for the gold back stripe as the defining feature.

Long toed salamanders are members of the Ambystoma family, those secretive caudates grouped as the Mole Salamanders in deference to their predilection for a mainly hidden, underground lifestyle.  The even more inexplicable and less pronounceable scientific name is Ambystoma macrodactylum – which translates to something like “blunt mouth big toe” believe it or not.  Smaller than its giant cousins, the Northwestern and Tiger Salamanders, the Long Toed generally attains a slender six inches in length.  Diminutive though it is, however, these salamanders have a range just as extensive as the big guys and are found from Alaska to California and across to Idaho and even Montana.  They inhabit a wide range of terrain as well; some even found in fairly arid regions.  As expected for a species so widespread there are an extensive range of sub species:  Western, Eastern, Southern, and Santa Cruz.  Despite names that span the cardinal directions Long Toed Salamanders are mainly citizens of the west and Northwest (although I know of at least one that made its way to Ohio).