The Larch Mountain salamander is one of the rarest amphibians in the Pacific Northwest. This small woodland salamander has a reddish-brown or yellow black-spotted stripe along its back and has a pink belly. The Larch Mountain salamander is one of the lungless salamanders that has to breathe through its skin. Mature adults can grow to four inches in total length.

This salamander like’s steep basalt talus (piles of volcanic rock fragments). Forested areas are also important because trees block out sunlight, allowing moss to grow on rock piles which keeps the ground damp all year.

Larch Mountain salamanders prefer slopes that have large amounts of fine litter such as decaying leaves, bark and twigs. Most of this species’ habitat is within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Larch Mountain salamanders are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the West Cascades ecoregion.

Photo by Jonathan Hakim