Pacific Giant Salamander - Sierra Club BC
Skip to content
Pacific Giant Salamander

CAN BE FOUND IN:

Pacific Giant Salamander

Dicamptodon tenebrosus 

Appearance

Pacific giant salamanders grow to 34 centimetres long. They are large and dark with tan or copper markings. They have shiny skin with long tails, big heads and webbed toes. 

Range & Habitat

In B.C. they are found only in the Chilliwack Valley near small cool shaded streams that lack silt.  

Reciprocal Relationships

The Pacific giant salamander is an indicator species, and thus is an important marker of ecosystem health. Salamanders have permeable skin, which allows them to absorb and drink water. However, this also means that they can absorb toxic substances, and are more at-risk in droughts. These beings control pests such as mosquitoes, but they also eat snails, slugs, beetles, shrews and other amphibians. They provide a food source for larger animals such as birds and snakes.  

Fun Fact: These salamanders make barking noises when disturbed (only adult salamanders can do this!).  

These beings are at risk from human activities, including climate change, pollution, and habitat fragmentation. Since their threatened designation in 2014, organizations have been working to increase this salamander’s protected habitat. 

Lifecycles & Threats

Females lay 135 to 200 eggs under stones or logs and the larvae hatch after six months after which they enter nearby streams. The larvae have gills and they go through a change called metamorphosis, going through several different stages before they reach the adult stage without gills. Some of these salamanders can reproduce while they are still larvae; this is called neoteny. The largest threats to the Pacific giant salamander are logging and building houses near their streams. 

Status

COSEWIC: Threatened 
CDC: Blue 

More Information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca

Photo Credit

Canva

Related Species

Filter by Taxonomy

Filter by EcoProvince

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

The American kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America and weighs only 3 or 4 ounces.

American White Pelican

American White Pelican

American white pelicans are some of the largest birds in North America. They hunt together, driving small schools of fish into each other’s bill pouches.

Arctic tern

Arctic tern

Arctic terns are unique birds with gifts of persistence and resourcefulness. These birds must fly great distances, and in doing so they have a diet with a variety of sea life.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald eagles are found all over B.C. and the U.S. The largest populations in North America live in B.C. and Alaska.

Banana Slug

Banana Slug

Banana slugs are important decomposers in our coastal rainforest. They are nocturnal feeders, eating decaying animals, mushrooms, and plants.

Beaver

Beaver

The beaver possesses many gifts! They are adept at swimming, building, and tree chomping.

Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn Sheep

The bighorn sheep are important primary consumers in the food chain. They are vegetarians, eating grasses, bushes and leaves.

Black and White Warbler

Black and White Warbler

These iconic Canadian birds are also called the ‘black and white creeper’ because they creep along tree trunks looking for tasty insects.

Black Bear

Black Bear

Black bears and Pacific salmon play an important part in maintaining our forest ecosystems.

Bocaccio Rockfish

Bocaccio Rockfish

Bocaccio rockfish are important consumers. These fish eat smaller fish such as anchovies, mackerel, squid and other rockfish.

Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

These gulls nest in large numbers and produce two to three eggs at a time. These gulls are gifted with agility.

Boreal Chickadee

Boreal Chickadee

Boreal chickadees are an important indicator species of boreal ecosystems!