February is a busy month in a California native garden. Early winter and late fall is the time to plant new starts, sow seeds and pull weeds. I've been adhering to my fifteen minutes a day garden regimen in an attempt not to be overwhelmed by what cries to be done. In my daily sojourn, I found a baby skink/black-bellied slender salamander.
So amazing. So small...about five inches in length. When I found it peeking shyly through the Live Oak leaves, I thought it was a worm. I called to my sons, placed its small cold body on my hand and noticed the tiny legs. When they circled around my hand, the skink/salamander wiggled lethargically. My youngest son was eager to hold it. I placed it gently on his hand. He held it for a moment. It moved. My son jumped about three feet. And the skink/salamander...she took flight.
Update: Ramshackle reader Jeff left the comment: "I think this is a black-bellied slender salamander...tho' looks like a skink (juvies have a impressive blue tail)...". I checked out www.californiaherps.com, and the habitat and description match up. Thanks for the heads up, Jeff. The updates are included in the original post.
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I think this is a black-bellied slender salamander...tho' looks like a skink (juvies have a impressive blue tail)...
ReplyDeleteJeff, I think you're right. I always thought we were out of range for salamanders. But looking at the habitat map at www.californiaherps.com, the black-bellied slender salamander is in the range. Thanks.
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