Siskiyou Mountains Salamander
Scientific Name: Plethodon stormi
Distribution: Siskiyou Mountains in Oregon and northern California
Habitat: forests between 490 and 1830 meters
Life Span: 15 years
Size: length 14 centimeters
Coloring: purplish-brown on top with olive-tan or brown dorsal stripe; lavender to purplish-gray on the underside; cream-colored throat; flecking on head, sides, and limbs
Eyes: large, round, dark-colored
Eggs: each clutch averages 9 eggs; laid on land in deep rock crevices
Diet: invertebrates (ants, mites, spiders, pseudoscorpions, beetles)
Predator(s): unclear; most likely shrews, snakes
Behavior: nocturnal, nonmigratory; sit-and-wait predators
Reproduction: females lay eggs in the spring and broods them in the summer every other year; young apparently hatch in the fall but do not emerge from underground until the following spring
Conservation Status: endangered (IUCN 3.1); population decreasing
Major Threats: clear-cut logging, which dries out the habitat; road-building, mining, and dam construction
Conservation Actions: recognized as a species of special concern in Oregon and California
Other Notes: plays an important role in checking insect populations and providing food for other, larger predators
Interesting Facts:
Distribution: Siskiyou Mountains in Oregon and northern California
Habitat: forests between 490 and 1830 meters
Life Span: 15 years
Size: length 14 centimeters
Coloring: purplish-brown on top with olive-tan or brown dorsal stripe; lavender to purplish-gray on the underside; cream-colored throat; flecking on head, sides, and limbs
Eyes: large, round, dark-colored
Eggs: each clutch averages 9 eggs; laid on land in deep rock crevices
Diet: invertebrates (ants, mites, spiders, pseudoscorpions, beetles)
Predator(s): unclear; most likely shrews, snakes
Behavior: nocturnal, nonmigratory; sit-and-wait predators
Reproduction: females lay eggs in the spring and broods them in the summer every other year; young apparently hatch in the fall but do not emerge from underground until the following spring
Conservation Status: endangered (IUCN 3.1); population decreasing
Major Threats: clear-cut logging, which dries out the habitat; road-building, mining, and dam construction
Conservation Actions: recognized as a species of special concern in Oregon and California
Other Notes: plays an important role in checking insect populations and providing food for other, larger predators
Interesting Facts:
- Until 2005, the Siskiyou Mountains salamander and the Scott Bar salamander (Plethodon asupak) were classified as one species.
- Siskiyou Mountains salamanders are entirely terrestrial, meaning they do not need to be in water at any time of their lives.
- Siskiyou Mountains salamanders are lungless. They "breathe" entirely through their skin.