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AFGHAN ARABIA WILD
ARTICLES AND POSTS
WILDLIFE OF AFGHANISTAN WILDLIFE OF SAUDI ARABIA NORTHWEST WILDLIFE ONLINE
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.
Yet
despite names that span the cardinal directions Long Toed Salamanders are
citizens of the west and especially the Northwest.
The relatively solid yellow stripe on this handsome fellow identifies him as an Eastern Long Toed Salamander sub species. In the middle is the characteristic long toe of the salamander; and in this picture and the one furthest to the right the speckled "starry night" skin of the animal is on display
With their lovely streak of gold set against the jet black
of their bodies these salamanders are strikingly pretty specimens.
As with most mole salamanders, however, their secretive nature does not
make them ideal pets.
From my
experience they also seem to be one of the least active of our caudate friends
and relatively delicate as well.
Be
careful when you pick them up; I recommend gently grasping them around the base
of the tail and then position your other hand under the animal’s stomach.
On close inspection you’ll notice the coastal grooves
common to the mole salamanders and the fact that the jet black color is not
actually solid black.
Dotted with
thousands of tiny white spots the skin of the Long Toed Salamander closely
resembles a starry night sky.
They
are distinguished, of course, by the long fourth toe on the hind feet common to
all but the difference between the various sub species is the pattern of their
gold “racing” stripe.
The Eastern
variety displays a nice solid stripe; the others are progressively more mottled.
Mark this little guy down and put it on your checklist.
See if you can find all four sub species in our area.
I’d like to know which is the most common.
HOOAH
Jack
AFGHAN ARABIA WILD
ARTICLES AND POSTS
WILDLIFE OF AFGHANISTAN WILDLIFE OF SAUDI ARABIA NORTHWEST WILDLIFE ONLINE
Saudi Arabian Wildlife Afghanistan Wildlife
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