Amphibians
Shasta Salamander
Hydromantes shastae · also called Shasta salamanders
Deep in a limestone crevice above Shasta Lake, a Shasta salamander fires its tongue out to snatch a passing insect, entirely unaware that a decades-old proposal to raise the dam below could one day submerge the very habitat its whole species depends on.
Overview
The Shasta salamander, Hydromantes shastae, is a lungless amphibian native to limestone outcrop, cave, and forest habitat within a small area surrounding Shasta Lake in northern California. Its projectile tongue adapted for hunting in tight rock crevices, extremely restricted limestone-dependent range, and the long-standing threat posed by a proposed dam enlargement make it one of the more conservation-precarious salamanders in California.
A species tied to one lake’s fate
With its entire known range clustered around a single reservoir, the Shasta salamander’s future is unusually tightly linked to decisions about water management and dam infrastructure that have little to do with wildlife at all.
Status
Vulnerable, restricted to a naturally small area of limestone habitat near Shasta Lake and threatened by a long-proposed dam enlargement that would flood part of its remaining range.
Shasta Salamander: common questions
Why does the Shasta Dam proposal threaten the Shasta salamander?
A long-proposed raising of Shasta Dam would raise the water level of Shasta Lake and permanently flood a portion of the limestone outcrop and cave habitat this species depends on, a significant concern given that the Shasta salamander's entire natural range is already limited to a small area surrounding the lake, leaving little room to absorb further habitat loss.
How does the Shasta salamander catch prey in tight rock crevices?
This species can fire its tongue out to a considerable length to snatch small invertebrates, an adaptation that lets it hunt effectively within the narrow limestone crevices and cave entrances it favours, reaching prey that would otherwise be difficult to approach closely enough to catch with a simple lunge or bite.
Why does the Shasta salamander need limestone specifically?
This species relies on the crevices, caves, and rocky slopes that limestone formations naturally provide for shelter, moisture retention, and hunting habitat, and its expanded toe pads are specifically adapted to gripping and climbing the kind of damp, vertical rock surfaces limestone terrain typically offers.
When is the Shasta salamander active on the surface?
This species is most active during cool, moist conditions, emerging from deep rock crevices and cave systems to forage when the surface is sufficiently damp, and retreating back underground during hot or dry weather when conditions on the surface would be too harsh for a lungless, moisture-dependent amphibian to tolerate.