Brooding adult female with 6 eggs, under log in moist earth.
Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Chordata (chordates)
Class: Amphibia (amphibians)
Order: Caudata (salamanders)
Family: Plethodontidae
Genus: Ensatina
Species: Ensatina eschscholtzii
Board CCB02, Circle Creek board check, Seaside, Clatsop Co. OR
This may be an Ensatina or maybe not. The body style and the proportions are a departure from the typical Ensatina. This was found in Point Mugu State Park is a riparian woodland area.
I told my friend Matt Zlatunich my target species today were salamanders. This stunner was on the list.
Ensatina eschscholtzii (commonly known by its genus name, Ensatina) is a complex of plethodontid (lungless) salamanders found in coniferous forests, oak woodland and chaparral from British Columbia, through Washington, Oregon, across California (where all seven subspecies variations are located), all the way down to Baja California in Mexico.
