Pacific Northwest
Reptiles & Amphibians
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Long-toed Salamander - Ambystoma macrodactylum
Western Long-toed Salamander -
Ambystoma macrodactylum macrodactylum
Baird, 1849
Red = Range of A. m. macrodactylum
Click map for a key to subspecies
Related or Similar Northwest Salamanders:
Eastern Long-toed Salamander
Northwestern Salamander
Dunn's Salamander
Tiger Salamander
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| Adult, King County, Washington | Adult, King County, Washington | |
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| Sub-adult in defensive pose, Multnomah County, Oregon |
Sub-adult, Multnomah County, Oregon | Adult, King County, Washington |
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| Adult, Clackamas County, Oregon | Adult, Clackamas County, Oregon | Adult in breeding pond at night, January, King County, Washington |
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| Adult, Multnomah County, Oregon | ||
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| Adult, east side of Mt. Rainier, Pierce County, Washington | ||
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| Adult, east side of Mt. Rainier, Pierce County, Washington | Adult, east side of Mt. Rainier, Pierce County, Washington | Adult, east side of Mt. Rainier, Pierce County, Washington |
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| Adult, Columbia County, Oregon © Marcus Rehrman |
Adult in breeding pond at night, January, King County, Washington | Toe number 4 on each hind foot is elongated, giving this species its name. |
| Long-toed Salamander Feeding | ||
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| Adult eating an earthworm | ||
| Eggs | ||
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| Female laying eggs underwater and attaching them to a stick at night in early February, King County, Washington. | Eggs on underwater stick laid by female to the left, soon after she finished. | Eggs attached to a stick laying in pond, early February, King County, Washington |
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| Eggs, King County, Washington | Eggs close-up, King County, Washington | Eggs ready to hatch |
| Larvae | ||
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| Hatchling, just hatched. | Hatchling, about 1 month old | |
More Pictures of Long-toed Salamander Eggs, Larvae, and Young |
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| Habitat | ||
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| Breeding pond, King County, Washington |
Breeding pond, King County, Washington | Breeding pond, King County, Washington |
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| Habitat, King County, Washington | Habitat, Multnomah County, Oregon | Habitat, Multnomah County, Oregon |
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| Drying breeding pool full of larvae and tadpoles, late summer, 6,400 ft., Deschutes County, Oregon | Habitat, 6,400 ft., mountain meadow, late summer, Deschutes County, Oregon | Habitat, 6,400 ft., mountain meadow, late spring, Deschutes County, Oregon |
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| Breeding pond, late spring, full of salamanders and eggs, 5,700 ft., Pierce County, Washington |
Habitat, 6,200 ft., Pierce County, Washington |
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| Short Videos | ||
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| A Western Long-toed salamander crawls into the breeding pond on a cold February night in King County, Washington, | Western Long-toed salamanders swim around underwater at night in a King County, Washington breeding pond during the breeding season in early February. | Two female Western Long-toed salamanders underwater lay their eggs on submerged sticks at night in King County, Washington. After the first one is finished we see the eggs she left behind. |
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| Unlike the much more visible Pacific newts, who breed in full daylight, Long-toed salamanders do their breeding and egg laying at night, and they seem to do it under the cover of leaves on the bottom of the pond. Here we can see a couple interacting under some leaves in a breeding pond in early February in King County, Washington. | Views of some Western Long-toed salamander eggs on submerged sticks. Some of the eggs are pulled out of the water for a better look. | |
Northwest Reptiles and Amphibians
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