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SPECIES PROFILE

Pacific Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus)

Dicamptodon

IUCN STATUS

Least Concern

Pacific Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) — Coastal mountains and Cascade Range from northern California to southern British Columbia

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern

CLASS

Amphibia

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Coastal mountains and Cascade Range from northern California to southern British Columbia

DIET

Carnivore

HABITAT

Cold, fast-flowing mountain streams and surrounding old-growth forest; larvae fully aquatic; adults amphibious

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Amphibia

ORDER

Caudata

FAMILY

Dicamptodontidae

GENUS

Dicamptodon

📋 Description

SIZE

17–34 cm total length; up to 180 g — one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America

COLORATION

Dark brown or grey with marbled lighter blotches; robust body; broad flat head; moist smooth skin

ADAPTATIONS

Can vocalise — one of very few salamanders to produce a sound (a low bark or rattle when handled); highly aquatic larvae may become permanently neotenic

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Cold, fast-flowing mountain streams and surrounding old-growth forest; larvae fully aquatic; adults amphibious

DIET

Carnivore

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Coastal mountains and Cascade Range from northern California to southern British Columbia

REPRODUCTION

Eggs laid under rocks in cold streams; female guards eggs until hatching; larvae may metamorphose or remain permanently aquatic (neotenic)

DIET DETAILS

Larvae: aquatic invertebrates and small fish; adults: large invertebrates, small mice, and even small snakes

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Logging of old-growth forests degrading stream quality; siltation of spawning habitat; stream temperature increase

💡 Interesting Facts

1

The Pacific Giant Salamander is one of the few salamanders in the world capable of vocalising — it can produce a low rattling bark when threatened.

2

Some individuals remain permanently in the larval (aquatic) stage their entire lives, a condition called neoteny; others metamorphose into terrestrial adults that may climb trees.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Olympic National Park near the Hoh Rain Forest, WA, has Pacific Giant Salamanders in cold pristine streams

Opal Creek Wilderness near Salem, OR, has old-growth streams with Pacific Giant Salamander populations

Mount Rainier National Park, WA, has Pacific Giant Salamanders in cold Cascade Range mountain streams

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

Look under rocks in cold, clear mountain streams in Olympic National Park and the Oregon Cascades after rain; more active at night.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

Year-round in cold mountain streams; most active at night and during rain; Olympic Peninsula and Cascade Range streams.