Amphibians
Northwestern Salamander
Ambystoma gracile · also called northwestern salamanders
In a cold, high-elevation Pacific Northwest lake, a northwestern salamander that will never leave the water drifts past with its gills still fully intact, having settled permanently into an aquatic adulthood most of its lowland relatives eventually grow out of.
Overview
The northwestern salamander, Ambystoma gracile, is a large, robust mole salamander native to forest and wetland habitat across the Pacific Northwest. Its mildly toxic skin secretions and the tendency of some populations to remain permanently aquatic make it one of the more physiologically flexible salamanders in its range.
A species that hedges its bets on growing up
Depending entirely on which lake it happens to live in, a northwestern salamander might spend its whole life gilled and aquatic or eventually transform into a terrestrial adult, a genuine fork in life history that plays out differently across the same species’ range.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable forest and wetland habitat throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Northwestern Salamander: common questions
Why does the northwestern salamander never metamorphose in some lakes?
In certain colder, higher-elevation lakes, northwestern salamander populations are paedomorphic, meaning they retain external gills and remain fully aquatic even as sexually mature adults rather than undergoing metamorphosis into a terrestrial form, a life history likely favoured where cold conditions make life on land less advantageous than staying in the water.
Is the northwestern salamander dangerous to touch?
A northwestern salamander produces a mildly toxic skin secretion from glands behind the head, which can cause mild irritation but is not considered a serious hazard to people, though it is effective enough to deter many of the species' natural predators.
How big can a northwestern salamander larva get?
A northwestern salamander larva can grow to a substantial size in permanent ponds and lakes before eventually undergoing metamorphosis, in populations where metamorphosis occurs, often considerably larger than the larvae of some smaller Ambystoma relatives before completing the transition to a terrestrial adult form.
Where does the northwestern salamander live?
The northwestern salamander is native to forest and wetland habitat across the Pacific Northwest of North America, ranging from northern California through Washington state and into British Columbia.