MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL (Novato, California) 30 November 06 Salamanders emerge when the rain arrives (David Herlocker)
When the winter rains come, some of us head indoors, preferring not to venture out on muddy trails. But there are other creatures who feel and smell the first rains of autumn and do just the opposite - they leave the shelters in which they have been hiding for many months and venture out into the cold wet world to feed and breed and generally celebrate the season.
Marin is home to six species of salamanders, all of which are common and can be seen if you visit a forest during the rainy season.
Newts are probably the most familiar of our local salamanders. We have two species: the California newt, which is usually associated with temporary ponds and creeks in warm habitats, and the rough-skinned newt, most often found in cooler forests.
After the first significant rain, newts come to the surface and travel to the pond or stream in which they were born. Males usually arrive first so when the first females show up in the water, they are swarmed by the amorous males. After mating, females lay eggs (rough-skinned newts lay single eggs, California newts lay clusters of 5 to 12 eggs) which are attached to submerged vegetation.
When the young newts hatch, they are like tadpoles with four tiny legs and a pair of small feathery orange gills. These young newts feed on insects and other small underwater creatures for two to six months. By summer's end they lose their gills and leave the water looking like tiny versions of their parents.
Adult newts are dark brown on the upper surfaces and have bright yellow or orange bellies. These bold contrasting colors serve to warn predators to avoid eating them. Newts have toxic compounds in their skin that are among the most potent naturally occurring substances. A slight taste of a newt will cause illness; swallowing a newt will kill any healthy adult human.
The world's largest terrestrial salamander, the California giant salamander, is also found in Marin. They breed in cold streams and can be found in nearly every creek in the western part of the county as well as all of the watercourses on Mount Tamalpais. This species can grow to almost a foot in length, but they usually don't exceed 8 inches in our area.
Three of Marin's salamanders are completely terrestrial. That means that they don't need to find water (streams or ponds) in which to mate and lay eggs. During the wet season these species come to the surface from deep underground to feed and breed. The most familiar of these are the slender salamanders, a well-named animal that sometimes appear more like earthworms than the tiny vertebrates that they are. Slender salamanders are common in well-watered yards and are easy to find under logs and stones in virtually any Marin habitat.
Another terrestrial species is the arboreal salamander. These are large (3 to 5 inches long) and usually have a relatively large head. Their color ranges from maroon to dark gray and they usually have a scattering of small yellow flecks on their sides. Arboreal salamanders are common in oak woodlands and, as their name implies, they sometimes can be found at night climbing around in trees hunting for insects.
A similar species is the ensatina. The ensatina is a pinkish-brown salamander that is more common in Redwood-Douglas fir forests. Ensatinas resemble newts to most people. Scientists believe that this resemblance is no accident. By mimicking the dangerous newt, the ensatina gets a free pass.
So there you have it, a brief introduction to the entire salamander fauna of Marin, all of which can be easily found in the creeks and forests of our open spaces.
Salamanders emerge when the rain arrives

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