Inyo Mountains salamander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Inyo Mountains salamander |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Batrachoseps
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| Species: |
campi
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The Inyo Mountains salamander (Batrachoseps campi) is a special type of salamander that lives only in the Inyo Mountains of California, in the western United States. It's also known as the Inyo slender salamander because it's quite thin! This amazing creature is part of a family called Plethodontidae, which means they don't have lungs and breathe through their skin.
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What Does It Look Like?
The Inyo Mountains salamander is one of the biggest "slender salamanders." While most of its relatives are tiny, this one can grow to be over 6 centimeters (about 2.4 inches) long! It has a head that's a bit wider than usual for its kind.
Its body is mostly brown, but it's covered in many gray speckles. These speckles can be so thick that the salamander looks shiny and silvery-gray. Like all slender salamanders, it has a unique feature: only four toes on its back feet. It also doesn't have a stripe down its back, which is rare among its close relatives.
Where Does It Live?
This salamander is found only in the Inyo Mountains in Inyo County, California. Scientists know of only about 20 places where it lives. These spots are found at different heights, from about 550 meters (1,800 feet) up to 2,450 meters (8,040 feet) high.
The Inyo Mountains are very dry, especially in the lower areas. Because of this, the Inyo Mountains salamander mostly lives near small, lasting springs inside deep canyons. These springs are on both sides of the mountain range. However, some salamanders have been found far from water. This suggests they might live underground in more areas than we currently know.
Even though the nearby White Mountains have similar wet canyon areas, the Inyo Mountains salamander has never been found there. The places where this salamander lives are spread out over about 40 kilometers (25 miles).
What Does It Eat and How Does It Reproduce?
The Inyo Mountains salamander eats small insects and other tiny creatures without backbones, like worms or spiders.
Scientists have never found any eggs from this species. However, they believe it reproduces like all other Batrachoseps slender salamanders. This means their young hatch directly from eggs without needing to spend time as a tadpole or larva in water.
Family Tree and Relatives
The Inyo Mountains salamander doesn't have any different types or "subspecies" that have been officially named. However, the springs where they live are very far apart. This means different groups of salamanders are quite isolated from each other. Because of this, some groups show important genetic differences.
This salamander is most closely related to the Kern Plateau slender salamander (Batrachoseps robustus). That species lives across the Owens Valley in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It's also related to the Oregon slender salamander (Batrachoseps wrighti), which lives much farther away in northern Oregon. This suggests that the Inyo Mountains salamander has been separated from its relatives for a very long time.
Conservation Status
The Inyo Mountains salamander is listed as a "California species of special concern." This means it's a species that needs extra attention and protection in California. It's also considered a "sensitive species" by the Bureau of Land Management, which manages much of the land where it lives.
The mountains where it lives are very remote. Most of the land is public and managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Inyo National Forest. This helps protect the salamander from new buildings or private projects. However, in the past, mining and changing water flow in streams have threatened some groups of these salamanders. Damage to their homes from grazing cattle has also been reported.
