I've been hopefully searching for my first adult coastal giant salamander to no avail all year. The Oregon coast range finally got a decent rain storm to roll through for a few days and it brought all kinds of sallies out. The red-backs were everywhere, many walking around so conditions were prime. I was in a very nice isolated older second growth forest with old growth creek draws.
I found lots coastal giant larvae in that stream. And then the next day up on a ridge above that creek I was bushwhacking through some brush when something caught my eye;
I knew immediately what that was and yelled in jubilation!
Coastal Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus)
About an hour later I was takin a pic of a couple red-backs when I happened to look down below me
Wow! Two in one day it was great.
-Matt
It rained and The Giants emerged
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- SurfinHerp
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Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Awesome Matt! Way to go
That first one seems rather huge and impressive. Was the second one about the same size, or somewhat smaller?
Jeff
That first one seems rather huge and impressive. Was the second one about the same size, or somewhat smaller?
Jeff
Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Fantastic. I know that's something you've been hoping for for a long time.
- Fieldnotes
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Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Holey Cow that is awesome... huge too!!! That might be the best example of a Coast Giant I have ever seen. So the salamanders have sprung in the Pacific Northwest, pretty cool. I'm looking forward to some rainy salamander searching in Washington and perhaps even Canada this year.
Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Yeah these two were huge. The first one was the biggest probably round 13" the second was big too aprx. 10" It was a humid foggy 60ish degree day, just ideal. I was really surprised to just see them out walking around on top of ridgelines in some drier parts of the forest, not where I expected to see them.
Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Super cool finds! So jelly right now.
- Joshua Wallace
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Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Great post! There is nothing better than a big terrestrial giant. You need to make it out into the north part of the coast range and find some vandykei.
Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Greta pics, thanks. I didnt know that kind lives as far into the North as Oregon
- AndyO'Connor
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Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Interesting they were out on the crawl during the day. I found a couple out on the crawl at night last weekend in the gorge on the OR side. I know a local herper that went out last night up here and found every species possible including a giant. I am looking forward to a HUGE northwestern salamander (Ambystoma gracile) migration in the next couple of nights right through my neighborhood.
Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
Wow what a beast..
Great Work Matt.
Fundad
Great Work Matt.
Fundad
Re: It rained and The Giants emerged
I don't know how I missed this. VERY nice sallies. In the SF Bay Area, on Halloween, we just got our first decent rain since last year. If we get a couple more, I'm sure our D. ensatus will be out and about.