Long Toed Salamander

[Carol Hiler]

Out on a pre-dawn walk this morning, I came upon this little creature near the street gutter in Benton Woods Subdivision, brought it home to photograph it, and then released it.  I always thought these were Ensatinas, but Lisa's post and picture about a Long Toed Salamander got me straightened out.  That long 4th toe is a sure giveaway.  This one is about 3 inches long and posed so nicely for me on a piece of wax paper on the kitchen counter.

There were a lot of Bull Frogs in the street and on the sidewalks in Benton Woods (area of Scenic and 24th in N. Albany).   The area in the subdivision that was dug out to create wetlands has become a haven for them.  I used to mostly see Chorus Frogs and Salamanders there, but the Bull Frogs seem to be taking over.

Carol Hiler

N. Albany

[Lisa Millbank]

Wow, I guess these little critters are getting active with the damp weather!  It would be worth looking for Ensatinas too, especially on rainy nights, but they're probably less common around suburban areas than Long-toed Salamanders are.  Besides the toe length difference, the Ensatina usually shows a bit of constriction at the base of the tail, and doesn't have much of a stripe down the back and tail. 

Lisa 

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