Alternative Name
Mud Puppy
Scientific Name: Abystoma gracile
Basic Info
At maturity, a Northwestern Salamander may be about 8.5 inches in length, and its body is usually quite stocky. The Northwestern Salamander is generally dark colored, and shades of black, gray, or brown are common. In some areas, little flecks of white or cream colors may be evident on the topside, as well. Generally, the underside is a lighter brown color. The oval parotid glands of the Northwestern Salamander are in evidence behind their eyes, and may be a lighter color than the rest of the salamander. Costal grooves are also quite obvious, as is a bumpy gland on the upper side of the tail. Some Northwestern Salamanders will remain in an aquatic state and can actually live out their lives and reproduce in this "undeveloped" manner. This is known as neoteny. The vents of males tend to be more swollen than those of females, especially during the breeding season.
Health
Breeding
Northwestern Salamanders usually breed at some time between January and August, depending upon the elevation they are living in. Generally, more northerly species will also breed later in the year. The courtship involves the male rubbing the female's nose with his chin. He will then lay a spermatophore and continue to rub her body until she takes it into her cloaca. Males may produce up to 30 of these spermatophores each breeding season. The eggs are laid in large clusters, and generally there are between 40 and 150 eggs in each cluster. The eggs are the size of pinheads and are brown and clearly defined. Generally, Northwestern Salamanders will attach their egg clusters to vegetation about 5 to 12 inches below the surface of water. The eggs take about a year to develop, and in higher altitudes may require two years. Generally, they will need about two more years to become sexually mature.
Habitat
Most often, Northwestern Salamanders make their homes in permanent or semi-permanent watercourses. They seem to prefer waters with slow currents or fairly still waters like ponds or lakes.
Behavior
The Northwestern Salamander is a fascinating creature that has habits similar to those of some toads. These unique amphibians are quite secretive, and observing one in the wild can be a very interesting experience.
Northwestern Salamanders are nocturnal creatures. During the day and even throughout most of the night when they are active they remain hidden. Generally, they are buried beneath debris on the forest floor like leaves or rotting logs. They eat insects like slugs and earthworms. In captivity they are reported to do quite well with crickets. Northwestern Salamanders are generally quite docile. When alarmed, Northwestern Salamanders have a unique self-defense mechanism similar to that of toads. They can squirt a milky poison from glands behind their eyes and on their tails.
They have been used in environmental testing as an indicator of water pollution, which causes harm to their larvae. Northwestern Salamanders appear to be sensitive to heavy metal pollution in their water, which can result in high mortality and deformation rates.
Origin
Pacific Northwest
History
Northwestern Salamanders may be found at elevations of up to 1,000 feet. Generally, they inhabit the Pacific Northwest of North America, ranging from Alaska down to northern California in the United States. They are also found in British Columbia and Canada. Some people call Northwestern Salamanders Mud Puppies or Brown Salamanders
Common Foods
feeds primarily on insects, earthworms, small rodents, small animals.
Latest news about Salamander Northwestern
North Shore Salamander Search
I met up with old friend Les, he of grad-school commiserations and the Quest for the Giant Salamander fame. We had decided to go herping along the North Shore Mountains, the smallish yet rugged mountains that are Vancouver’s northern backdrop. Herping is like birding, except instead of walking along listening and looking up, you are bent over, flipping rocks and other debris, or wading through muck, yelling back and forth at each other. Why go herping? To see what’s there, of course. Rice Lake Continue reading
Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities
As I was perusing the latest issue of The Quarterly Conversation, I was inspired to check the submission guidelines and discovered that this is indeed a paying online venue. "We are always looking for book reviews, essays, and interviews that address literature (broadly conceived) from original and provocative perspectives." Pays: $25/book review, $30/interview, and $40/feature. Guidelines available here. ========== The literary magazine Salamander is looking for a Managing Editor. This position Continue reading
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
The natural environments of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the volcanic perimeter which surrounds the Pacific Ocean, have been recreated in 14 separate exhibits and populated with over 35,000 specimens representing 580 species in the Osaka Aquarium. Located in the harbor area of the city, the aquarium is centered on a huge nine-meter deep-water tank, which represents the Pacific Ocean. According to the Pacific Rim volcanic belt, “Ring of Fire,” KAIYUKAN reproduces the huge Pacific Ocean an Continue reading
Osaka Aquarium - Must See Japan
The natural environments of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the volcanic perimeter which surrounds the Pacific Ocean, have been recreated in 14 separate exhibits and populated with over 35,000 specimens representing 580 species in the Osaka Aquarium. Located in the harbor area of the city, the aquarium is centered on a huge nine-meter deep-water tank, which represents the Pacific Ocean. According to the Pacific Rim volcanic belt, “Ring of Fire,” KAIYUKAN (aka Osaka Aquarium) reproduces th Continue reading
Mike Bank: Rare Abdomen(Pt. Nonage)
After this fashion the lumberyard rolls overturned and changes capacity At the clean up touching spring, yours truly’s No such thing bandeau Undivided And the dyke comes heinie the roadblock Xiiiiiiii-linx fpga Every vespers the Booley boys and alter ego Impel a wisp on Procrustean law Wide-awake single’s poser And we Mister’t the needful plebiscitum CPLD Our vampire decide ping us chez soi And we’ll fill up me stamp out in order to the Popular concert Excluding AND Defines our operand We’abou Continue reading
Recent sitings at Critter Farm
Recent sitings at Critter Farm Very healthy looking Rhubarb growing in the garden: A Rufous (I think) Hummingbird enjoying newly made nectar: An Ambystoma gracile, also known as the Northwestern Salamander: A Townsend's chipmunk eating fallen sunflower seeds from the bird feeder: An antenna afixed to the deck railing so one newly certified Ham Radio-operating husband can talk to his nerdy new friends: One really cute pup named Roxy, sunning herself on a rock: The plaid boys "working" o Continue reading
But nary a cougar
Cougar Creek is a small creek. It trickles gently from culverts under the housing developments behind our vacant lot, meanders around and under the malls that replace the marsh and lake that once was here, joining forces finally in the gap between school grounds, housing developments and the Sikh temple. From there, the combined waters go back into a culvert, emerging at the head of the steep Cougar Canyon, where it "goes wild", allowing for an annual salmon fry release, and good cover for anima Continue reading
More signs winter is coming to a close
This is what my daughter found last night, while doing her chores. Northwestern Salamander Ambystoma gracile These guys love our compost piles and they generally hang out around the barns. Wondering what to do with that baler twine? Here’s what an old Italian farmer taught us. We use sisal twine which we save for starting burn piles etc., but the farmer that we purchase straw from uses plastic twine. It comes in handy if you can figure a good way to store it. You know - the new haywi Continue reading
