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| Western Redback Salamander |
Recently Michael of the
Explore Portland Nature blog kindly invited us to join him and Sara Viernum,
The Wandering Herpetologist, for a salamander hunt at Tryon Creek State Park. We couldn't stay the whole time, and only saw two of the ten salamanders they found. We thought it was such fun, we wanted to do it again! So we went back with Sara and a bunch of excited homeschoolers. This time, with the weather getting colder, we found 5 ensatinas and one western redback salamander. The western redback and one of the ensatinas were pregnant females, and Sara turned them over on their backs so we could see the eggs, a white patch just visible through their skin. We also found a very tiny juvenile ensatina. We turned over a log, and we were just about to put it back, when Jasper's eagle eyes spotted it. Sara's boundless enthusiasm for these amazing creatures and extensive knowledge is absolutely delightful. I never knew there were so many salamanders all around us! The trick is to turn over LOTS of logs...
Salamanders are found all over the US, and prefer damp locations near fresh water. Some live all of their lives in the water, some live all their lives on land, and some return to the water to breed. Their larvae live in the water until they become adults and grow lungs. Ensatinas are an interesting species because although they lay their eggs on land, and never go through an aquatic stage, they also never grow lungs. They are the most common salamander in Oregon. You have to be very careful when you handle salamanders, don't touch them if you've just used hand sanitizer, and don't ever pull a salamander's tail, because in many species it will break off. We also made sure to always put them back just where we'd found them. Salamanders are a great creature to hunt for with kids, because when you do find them, they are unlikely to bound away quickly before you can get a look at them. And you are sure to find all sorts of other interesting creepy crawlies hiding under logs as well. In the Portland area, only the rough skinned newts pose any danger; if severely peeved, these very mellow creatures will secrete a milky toxin from their backs which is nasty if ingested. Kids can safely handle the others.
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| Baby ensatina. |
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| Bird's nest fungus. |
Recently Michael of the Explore Portland Nature blog kindly invited us to join him and Sara Viernum, The Wandering Herpetologist, for a salamander hunt at Tryon Creek State Park. We couldn't stay the whole time, and only saw two of the ten salamanders they found. We thought it was such fun, we wanted to do it again! So we went back with Sara and a bunch of excited homeschoolers. This time, with the weather getting colder, we found 5 ensatinas and one western redback salamander. The western redback and one of the ensatinas were pregnant females, and Sara turned them over on their backs so we could see the eggs, a white patch just visible through their skin. We also found a very tiny juvenile ensatina. We turned over a log, and we were just about to put it back, when Jasper's eagle eyes spotted it. Sara's boundless enthusiasm for these amazing creatures and extensive knowledge is absolutely delightful. I never knew there were so many salamanders all around us! The trick is to turn over LOTS of logs... 
Salamanders are found all over the US, and prefer damp locations near fresh water. Some live all of their lives in the water, some live all their lives on land, and some return to the water to breed. Their larvae live in the water until they become adults and grow lungs. Ensatinas are an interesting species because although they lay their eggs on land, and never go through an aquatic stage, they also never grow lungs. They are the most common salamander in Oregon. You have to be very careful when you handle salamanders, don't touch them if you've just used hand sanitizer, and don't ever pull a salamander's tail, because in many species it will break off. We also made sure to always put them back just where we'd found them. Salamanders are a great creature to hunt for with kids, because when you do find them, they are unlikely to bound away quickly before you can get a look at them. And you are sure to find all sorts of other interesting creepy crawlies hiding under logs as well. In the Portland area, only the rough skinned newts pose any danger; if severely peeved, these very mellow creatures will secrete a milky toxin from their backs which is nasty if ingested. Kids can safely handle the others.
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