Hiking through the woods in Northern California, I came across this large, dark amphibian along the edge of the trail. It was the largest wild salamander I’ve ever seen – a Northwestern Salamander.
Like the Spotted Salamanders and Jefferson Salamanders from Ohio, these are “mole salamanders,” which spend much of their adult life underground. They can get up to 9-3/4 inches in total length.
Unlike their eastern counterparts, Northwestern Salamanders are mildly poisonous and have glands like a toad that secrete poison when the amphibian feels threatened. They are harmless to people (unless you try to eat one). Finding this big salamander, the first I’ve ever seen, was the highlight of the herping day.
