Super Salamander Sightings!
So, I saw some stunning salamanders sitting in some slime.
Okay, enough of that.
I was on my run today and I saw two salamanders, one tiny and one average sized. This is what they looked like:
Ensatina Salamander Picture... awww, how cute!
Which is really exciting because I'd only ever seen this kind of salamander before today:
Spotted Salamander... awww, also cute!
I love seeing new kinds of species! I also love it when I can figure out what they are (an ensatina salamander in this case). Seeing a salamander is special because they are very senitive to pollution, temp, etc. so who knows how long they will be around?
Plus, when I was elementary school aged, I was a big salamander and lizard fan. In Michigan, we don't have much in the way of lizards, but there are salamanders. I used to spend a fair amount of time hunting for them. Despite that, I think of all the salamanders I saw (spotted salamanders), I only found one on purpose. Most of them my mom found and pointed out to me, and the others I found while not officially on a salamander search. I guess I was not very good at looking for them. I had a very similar relationship with the praying mantis.
In my handy dandy Audubon Pocket Guide to familiar North American Reptiles and Amphibians, it shows that the ensatina is the only salamander in the west! This is surprising to me, because it is very wet here in Oregon, so I would think that salamanders would do quite well in these parts. Perhaps there are other, less common varieties that are not listed in my guide. I would not be at all surprised to learn that it is not comprehensive. It is the very same guide that I used to study as a kid, after all.
In closing, I also saw a slug today.
Okay, enough of that.
I was on my run today and I saw two salamanders, one tiny and one average sized. This is what they looked like:
Which is really exciting because I'd only ever seen this kind of salamander before today:
I love seeing new kinds of species! I also love it when I can figure out what they are (an ensatina salamander in this case). Seeing a salamander is special because they are very senitive to pollution, temp, etc. so who knows how long they will be around?
Plus, when I was elementary school aged, I was a big salamander and lizard fan. In Michigan, we don't have much in the way of lizards, but there are salamanders. I used to spend a fair amount of time hunting for them. Despite that, I think of all the salamanders I saw (spotted salamanders), I only found one on purpose. Most of them my mom found and pointed out to me, and the others I found while not officially on a salamander search. I guess I was not very good at looking for them. I had a very similar relationship with the praying mantis.
In my handy dandy Audubon Pocket Guide to familiar North American Reptiles and Amphibians, it shows that the ensatina is the only salamander in the west! This is surprising to me, because it is very wet here in Oregon, so I would think that salamanders would do quite well in these parts. Perhaps there are other, less common varieties that are not listed in my guide. I would not be at all surprised to learn that it is not comprehensive. It is the very same guide that I used to study as a kid, after all.
In closing, I also saw a slug today.
posted by Ashleigh @ 9:13 PM
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