Friday, April 8, 2011

Wandering Salamander



Look at me, I'm a slimy, lungless, tree climbing salamander! My latin name is Aneides vagrans, fancy wording which means, Aneides in Greek, I lack form or shape and just like my common name says, I'm a wanderer. I've wandered my way into British Columbia hiding under Tan Oak bark shipped there in the late 19th century then sneaking out and seeking refuge in the forests. I like it there quite well but nothing compared to my original home in the damp forests of the redwoods, California. You can find me hiding under rotting logs, dark crevices in rocks, and even waaaaay up in the trees. I'm talkin' over 100 feet up in the sky! There's no need for me to go anywhere else. The complex system in these trees are refuge to all kinds of plants called, epiphytes, meaning these plants grow on other plants for support without hurting them. I'll eat anything I can find like bugs and worms that live here year-around in the forest like me.


If you want to learn more about me and some of my relatives check out the following links:<http://www.californiaherps.com/>


This stuffs intense right here: <http://www.humboldt.edu/redwoods/sillett/publications/spicklerEtAl2006.pdf>

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