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Project Noah Nature School
Ambystoma gracile
Large brown salamander of the giant/tiger type, but an all over brown, with grey underneath and tiny dots of color all over
I found this guy in my hay barn and think the dry hay may have damaged his skin as when I moved him he made to attempt to flee or hide under damp wood. I took the oppportunity to place him on a mossy log for photos
This one was about 7-9 inches long with tail, but I have seen them closer to a foot long
Spotted on Feb 20, 2012
Submitted on Feb 20, 2012
2 Comments
About 15 years ago, I had a pet shop. This guy kept buying crickets for a pair of "alligator lizards." He brought them in for me to see one day, in a "playmate" lunch sized cooler, and they were a pair of these lovelies, every bit of a foot long(including tail), fat and robust(I guess they DO like crickets!). But I could not convince this guy they were salamanders and not Northern Alligator lizards, even when I showed him pictures in a field guide.
I've never seen them a foot long--more to the smaller side. They are pretty unflappable little guys, not moving very fast. I guess if you live in a hole in the ground that works just fine for you.