Reptile & Amphibian Forums

TEHACHAPI NEWS (California) 26 October 05 Salamanders still set off a stir (Deanna Call)
So much attention for such a little critter.
On Oct. 20, two representatives from the California Department of Fish and Game visited Tom Sawyer Lake in search of salamanders.
Lacey Greene of the Bishop branch of the DFG heard about the new Tehachapi salamander population from her boss. He read about it in the Tehachapi News. Bill Asserson, associate biologist with the DFG was assigned to accompany Greene, being somewhat locally stationed in Bakersfield.
“They’re really tricky because they’re not from here, so how they react to this environment isn’t known,” Greene said.
This population of Tiger Salamanders was initially discovered just four weeks ago, after a heavy rain around the lake. They are not native to this area; whether or not they are harmful is what Greene seeks to discover.
After setting several traps, Greene caught one amphibious salamander. She and Asserson were also able to inspect several terrestial salamanders.
Greene plans to return to Tehachapi to capture more amphibious specimens. She will need at least 40 salamanders to do the pathology tests she would like to run. The pathology tests, along with basic observations, will determine if the Tehachapi population of non-native salamanders is benign or a nuisance.
A non-native species can be a nuisance by preying on other species that are native to the area, by competing with native species for resources or by carrying diseases.
While Greene has not seen a successful erradication of salamanders in any other location, there is at least one experiemental erradication program being tested now in Bishop. The success or failure of the Bishop program may impact the Tom Sawyer Lake salamanders.
It will be several weeks before any determination is made about the possible hazards of the Tehachapi population. In the mean time, residents are reminded that moving the salamanders could negatively impact other species.
Salamanders still set off a stir

They fail to mention the possibilities of hybridization with native california tigers (which I believe are endangered). Hopefully they can eradicate the population.