About Dicamptodon tenebrosus (Baird & Girard, 1852)
Dicamptodon tenebrosus, commonly known as the coastal giant salamander, is the largest terrestrial salamander in North America. Terrestrial adults of this species can reach a maximum total length of 33 cm (13 in), while paedomorphic forms can grow up to 35.5 cm (14.0 in). It has stout limbs, with four toes on each front foot and five toes on each back foot. Its tail makes up approximately 40 percent of its total body length and is laterally compressed. A marbled or reticulate pattern of dark blotches covers its head, back, and sides, set against a light brown or brassy-colored background. It has a broad head with a shovel-like snout, and a fold of skin across the throat called the gular fold. Its eyes are medium-sized, with a brass-flecked iris and a large black pupil. This species is one of the few salamanders that is capable of producing vocalizations. The coastal giant salamander is endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, where it occurs in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. Aquatic life stages of this species inhabit clear, cool to cold, well-oxygenated streams, and may also be found in mountain lakes and ponds. Metamorphosed adult coastal giant salamanders live in humid forests near mountain streams or rocky mountain lake shores, where they typically shelter under rocks and logs.
