These small salamanders have solid green- brown- or gray-colored sides and backs with bright yellow or orange undersides. Adults can grow to four inches in total length.

Columbia torrent salamanders spend their lives in and near cold and clear water bodies including mountain streams, springheads, waterfalls and seeps in older forests. They need loose gravel stream beds for hiding and foraging. They are highly connected to their water sources, but in times of heavy rainfall, they may venture into a nearby forest.

The Columbia torrent salamander is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Coast Range and Willamette Valley ecoregions.

Photo by Jonathan Hakim