How to identify it
Brown back overlain with greenish grey, pale gold or reddish hues and sprinkled with brassy specks, mostly on snout, shoulders and upper tail base. [1][2]
Dusky grey belly; expanded toes with squared tips; rounded prehensile tail; 16-17 costal grooves. [1][2]
Adult males have triangular heads from strong jaw muscles; females are slightly longer (max about 65 mm snout-vent). [1][2]
Young are dark brown with a brassy stripe from neck to tail tip and a brassy triangle on the head. [1][2]
Where it lives
Mesic coniferous forest (Douglas-fir, redwood, hemlock, Port Orford cedar), especially forest edges, clearings and burned areas. [1][2]
How it behaves
Usually found singly under bark, in decaying stumps and logs, and in cliff cracks; partly arboreal. [1][2]
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
- California — amphibian take · 2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations (updated July 10, 2026), 14 CCR 5.05/5.60
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.
Where it is found
Coastal forests of Oregon and northern California, from the Columbia River south, plus a separate group on Vancouver Island and adjacent islands in British Columbia; sea level to about 1,500-1,700 m.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology