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California slender salamander

Batrachoseps attenuatus · Salamanders and newts · Amphibians

California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus): Extremely elongated, worm-like body with short limbs and very small digits; only four toes on each hind foot. Dark brown to black ground colour with a reddish-brown, buff or yellowish dorsal stripe that may fade or vanish in older adults. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

California slender salamander — verified North Ground species photograph
Adobe Stock · Standard License (asset 567261100)
Scientific name
Batrachoseps attenuatus
Family
Plethodontidae
In North America
Native
Range
Coastal southwestern Oregon south through coastal northern California and the Coast Ranges to the Monterey Bay lowlands and Tres Pinos Creek area (Santa Cruz and San Benito counties), plus parts of the inner Coast Ranges; not in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Extremely elongated, worm-like body with short limbs and very small digits; only four toes on each hind foot. [1][2]

Dark brown to black ground colour with a reddish-brown, buff or yellowish dorsal stripe that may fade or vanish in older adults. [1][2]

Slate-grey underside with fine white stippling; tail makes up 55-65% of total length. [1][2]

18-22 costal grooves (20-21 most common); adult snout-vent length 45-55 mm. [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Humid low-elevation coastal areas: redwood and conifer forest, oak woodland, chaparral, coastal scrub and grassland with scattered trees. [1][2]

Found under leaf litter, rotten logs and surface debris, including in garden stones and debris. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Surfaces from under logs, rocks and bark when topsoil is wet; most active from first fall rains through late spring. [1][2]

Retreats into burrows and soil cavities in hot, dry weather, and is inactive in cold. [1][2]

Sit-and-wait feeder on snails, springtails, mites, flies and small spiders; spends much of its time within a very small area. [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Coastal southwestern Oregon south through coastal northern California and the Coast Ranges to the Monterey Bay lowlands and Tres Pinos Creek area (Santa Cruz and San Benito counties), plus parts of the inner Coast Ranges; not in Canada.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology