This is a complete llst of salamanders that occur naturally in California, including non-native species with well-established populations.
California's salamanders are listed by scientific name and sorted by family, genus, species, and subspecies if applicable.
They are listed by common name below the scientific names list.
Follow the blue links to go to a page with information about each kind of salamander along with pictures of them and their habitat and short videos if available.
The names used on this list are based mainly on lists published by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
More Lists and Information About California Salamanders
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Common Name |
Original Description |
Alternate Name |
CA Endemic |
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| Order Caudata |
Salmanders |
Scopoli, 1777 |
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| Ambystomatidae |
Mole Salamanders |
Gray, 1850 |
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| Ambystoma |
Mole Salamanders |
Tschudi, 1838 |
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| Ambystoma californiense |
California Tiger Salamander |
Gray, 1853 |
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Endemic |
| Ambystoma gracile |
Northwestern Salamander |
(Baird, 1859) |
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| Ambystoma macrodactylum |
Long-toed Salamander |
Baird, 1849 |
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| Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum |
Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander |
Russell and Anderson, 1956 |
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Endemic |
| Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum |
Southern Long-toed Salamander |
Ferguson, 1961 |
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| Dicamptodontidae |
Giant Salamanders |
Tihen, 1958 |
Ambystomatidae |
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| Dicamptodon |
Pacific Giant Salamanders |
Strauch, 1870 |
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| Dicamptodon ensatus |
California Giant Salamander |
(Eschscholtz, 1833) |
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Endemic |
| Dicamptodon tenebrosus |
Coastal Giant Salamander |
(Baird and Girard, 1852) |
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| Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
Gray, 1850 |
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| Aneides |
Climbing Salamanders |
Baird, 1851 |
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| Aneides ferreus |
Clouded Salamander |
Cope, 1869 |
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| Aneides flavipunctatus |
Speckled Black Salamander |
(Strauch, 1870) |
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Endemic |
| Aneides iecanus |
Shasta Black Salamander |
(Cope 1883) |
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Endemic |
| Aneides klamathensis |
Klamath Black Salamander |
Stebbins, 1951 & Dubois and Raffaelli, 2009 |
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| Aneides lugubris |
Arboreal Salamander |
(Hallowell, 1849) |
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| Aneides niger |
Santa Cruz Black Salamander |
Myers and Maslin, 1948 |
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Endemic |
| Aneides vagrans |
Wandering Salamander |
Wake and Jackman, 1999 |
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| Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Bonaparte, 1841 |
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| Batrachoseps altasierrae |
Greenhorn Mountains Slender Salamander |
Jockush, Martinez-Solano, Hansen, and Wake, 2012 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps attenuatus |
California Slender Salamander |
(Eschscholtz, 1833) |
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| Batrachoseps bramei |
Fairview Slender Salamander |
Jockush, Martinez-Solano, Hansen, and Wake, 2012 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps campi |
Inyo Mountains Slender Salamander |
Marlow, Brode & Wake, 1979 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps diabolicus |
Hell Hollow Slender Salamander |
Jockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps gabrieli |
San Gabriel Mountains Slender Salamander |
Wake, 1996 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps gavilanensis |
Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander |
Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps gregarius |
Gregarious Slender Salamander |
Jockusch, Wake & Yanev 1998 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps incognitus |
San Simeon Slender Salamander |
Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps kawia |
Sequoia Slender Salamander |
Jockusch, Wake & Yanev 1998 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps luciae |
Santa Lucia Mountains Slender Salamander |
Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps major |
Southern California Slender Salamander |
Camp, 1915 |
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| Batrachoseps major aridus |
Desert Slender Salamander |
Brame, 1970 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps major major |
Garden Slender Salamander |
Camp, 1915 |
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| Batrachoseps minor |
Lesser Slender Salamander |
Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps nigriventris |
Black-bellied Slender Salamander |
Cope, 1869 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps pacificus |
Channel Islands Slender Salamander |
(Cope, 1865) |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps regius |
Kings River Slender Salamander |
Jockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps relictus |
Relictual Slender Salamander |
Brame & Murray, 1968 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps robustus |
Kern Plateau Slender Salamander |
Wake, Yanev, and Hansen, 2002 |
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Endemic |
Batrachoseps simatus
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Kern Canyon Slender Salamander |
Brame & Murray, 1968 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps stebbinsi |
Tehachapi Slender Salamander |
Brame & Murray, 1968 |
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Endemic |
| Batrachoseps wakei |
Arguello Slender Salamander |
Sweet & Jockusch, 2021 |
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Endemic |
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| Ensatina |
Ensatinas |
Gray, 1850 |
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| Ensatina eschscholtzii |
Ensatina |
Gray, 1850 |
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| Ensatina eschscholtzii croceater |
Yellow-blotched Ensatina |
(Cope, 1867) |
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Endemic |
| Ensatina eschscholtzii eschscholtzii |
Monterey Ensatina |
Gray, 1850 |
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| Ensatina eschscholtzii klauberi |
Large-blotched Ensatina |
Dunn, 1929 |
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| Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis |
Oregon Ensatina |
(Girard, 1856) |
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| Ensatina eschscholtzii picta |
Painted Ensatina |
Wood, 1940 |
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| Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis |
Sierra Nevada Ensatina |
(Espada, 1875) |
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Endemic |
| Ensatina eschscholtzii xanthoptica |
Yellow-eyed Ensatina |
Stebbins, 1949 |
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Endemic |
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| Hydromantes |
Web-toed Salamanders |
Gistel, 1848 |
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| Hydromantes brunus |
Limestone Salamander |
Gorman, 1954 |
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Endemic |
| Hydromantes platycephalus |
Mount Lyell Salamander |
(Camp, 1916) |
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Endemic |
| Hydromantes samweli |
Samwel Shasta Salamander |
Bingham, Papenfuss, Lindstrand III, and Wake, 2018 |
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Endemic |
| Hydromantes shastae |
Shasta Salamander |
Gorman and Camp, 1953 |
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Endemic |
| Hydromantes wintu |
Wintu Shasta Salamander |
Bingham, Papenfuss, Lindstrand III, and Wake, 2018 |
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Endemic |
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| Plethodon |
Woodland Salamanders |
Tschudi, 1838 |
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| Plethodon asupak |
Scott Bar Salamander |
Mead, Clayton, Nauman, Olson and Pfrender, 2005 |
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Endemic |
| Plethodon dunni |
Dunn's Salamander |
Bishop, 1934 |
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| Plethodon elongatus |
Del Norte Salamander |
Van Denburgh, 1916 |
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| Plethodon stormi |
Siskiyou Mountains Salamander |
Highton and Brame, 1965 |
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| Rhyacotritonidae |
Torrent Salamanders |
Tihen, 1958 |
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| Rhyacotriton |
Torrent Salamanders |
Dunn, 1920 |
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| Rhyacotriton variegatus |
Southern Torrent Salamander |
Stebbins and Lowe, 1951 |
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| Salamandridae |
Newts |
Goldfuss, 1820 |
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| Taricha |
Pacific Newts |
Gray, 1850 |
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| Taricha granulosa |
Rough-skinned Newt |
(Skilton, 1849) |
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| Taricha rivularis |
Red-bellied Newt |
(Twitty, 1935) |
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Endemic |
| Taricha sierrae |
Sierra Newt |
(Twitty, 1942) |
Taricha torosa sierrae -
Sierra Newt |
Endemic |
| Taricha torosa |
California Newt |
(Rathke, in Eschscholtz, 1833) |
Taricha torosa torosa -
California Newt |
Endemic |
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| Non-Native Species (More information about non-native reptiles and amphibians reported in California) |
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| Ambystomatidae |
Mole Salamanders |
Gray, 1850 |
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| Ambystoma |
Mole Salamanders |
Tschudi, 1838 |
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| Ambystoma mavortium |
Western Tiger Salamander |
Baird, 1850 “1849” |
Ambystoma tigrinum |
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| Common Name |
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| Mole Salamanders |
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| Northwestern Salamander |
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| Tiger Salamanders |
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| California Tiger Salamander |
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| Long-toed Salamanders |
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| Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander |
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| Southern Long-toed Salamander |
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| Giant Salamanders |
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| California Giant Salamander |
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| Coastal Giant Salamander |
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| Newts |
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| Red-bellied Newt |
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| Rough-skinned Newt |
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| California Newt |
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| Sierra Newt |
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| Lungless Salamanders |
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| Climbing Salamanders |
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| Arboreal Salamander |
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| Clouded Salamander |
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| Klamath Black Salamander |
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| Santa Cruz Black Salamander |
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| Shasta Black Salamander |
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| Speckled Black Salamander |
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| Wandering Salamander |
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| Slender Salamanders |
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| Black-bellied Slender Salamander |
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| California Slender Salamander |
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| Channel Islands Slender Salamander |
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| Desert Slender Salamander |
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| Fairview Slender Salamander |
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| Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander |
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| Garden Slender Salamander |
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| Greenhorn Mountains Slender Salamander |
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| Gregarious Slender Salamander |
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| Hell Hollow Slender Salamander |
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| Inyo Mountains Slender Salamander |
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| Kern Canyon Slender Salamander |
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| Kern Plateau Slender Salamander |
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| Kings River Slender Salamander |
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| Lesser Slender Salamander |
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| Relictual Slender Salamander |
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| San Gabriel Mountains Slender Salamander |
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| San Simeon Slender Salamander |
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| Santa Lucia Mountains Slender Salamander |
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| Sequoia Slender Salamander |
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| Tehachapi Slender Salamander |
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| Ensatina |
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| Large-blotched Ensatina |
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| Monterey Ensatina |
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| Oregon Ensatina |
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| Painted Ensatina |
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| Sierra Nevada Ensatina |
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| Yellow-blotched Ensatina |
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| Yellow-eyed Ensatina |
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| Web-toed Salamanders |
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| Limestone Salamander |
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| Mount Lyell Salamander |
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| Shasta Salamander |
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| Wintu Shasta Salamander |
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| Woodland Salamanders |
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| Del Norte Salamander |
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| Dunn's Salamander |
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| Scott Bar Salamander |
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| Siskiyou Mountains Salamander |
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| Torrent Salamanders |
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| Southern Torrent Salamander |
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| Alien Species |
(More information about alien reptiles and amphibians reported in California) |
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Western Tiger Salamander
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