Cascade torrent salamander
Cascade torrent salamander | |
---|---|
In Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, Oregon, US | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Urodela |
Family: | Rhyacotritonidae |
Genus: | Rhyacotriton |
Species: | R. cascadae |
Binomial name | |
Rhyacotriton cascadae Good & Wake, 1992 |
The Cascade torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton cascadae) is a species of salamander in the family Rhyacotritonidae. The Cascade torrent salamander are a small species of salamanders, with adults reaching about two inches on average. Their color ranges from brown to black, and they usually exhibit yellowish underbellies and spotted sides.[2] It is endemic to the Pacific Northwest in the United States where it is found from Skamania County in Washington south to Lane County in Oregon on the west slope of the Cascade Mountains.[1]
Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, and freshwater springs. It is threatened by habitat loss. These salamanders are typically found under rocks and fallen logs.[1] As far as movement, cascade torrent salamander can stay in a small area over very long periods. They also tend to move parallel to the streams they live by. Living by the stream creates a wide range of general lifespan because the salamanders can die from severe flooding of the stream.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Geoffrey Hammerson (2004). "Rhyacotriton cascadae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59435A11941314. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59435A11941314.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Cascade Torrent Salamander – Oregon Conservation Strategy". www.oregonconservationstrategy.org. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Nijhuis, Michelle T. (1998). "Movement Patterns and Life History Characteristics in a Population of the Cascade Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton cascadae) in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon". Journal of Herpetology. 32 (2): 301–304. doi:10.2307/1565317. JSTOR 1565317.