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Southern California slender salamander

Batrachoseps major · Salamanders and newts · Amphibians

Southern California slender salamander (Batrachoseps major): Slender, worm-like salamander of the genus Batrachoseps. Slightly wider body and a lighter grey belly than the black-bellied slender salamander; body colour varies widely. 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.

Scientific name
Batrachoseps major
Family
Plethodontidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southern California from the base of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains south to El Rosario, Baja California, plus Catalina and offshore islands; up to about 1,500 m. Not in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Slender, worm-like salamander of the genus Batrachoseps. [1][2][3]

Slightly wider body and a lighter grey belly than the black-bellied slender salamander; body colour varies widely. [1][2][3]

Compared with the black-bellied slender salamander: Black-bellied has a thinner body and may have a lighter dorsal stripe; the garden slender salamander has a slightly wider body and lighter grey belly. [1][2][3]

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a southern california slender salamander before you act. Compared with the black-bellied slender salamander: Black-bellied has a thinner body and may have a lighter dorsal stripe; the garden slender salamander has a slightly wider body and lighter grey belly.[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Oak woodland, chaparral and grassy slopes in canyons and washes, and rural gardens and urban edges next to natural areas. [1][2][3]

Prefers moist areas with rocky cover and is tied to seepages. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Nocturnal on the surface, mostly active November-April in cool, wet or humid weather; found under rocks, bark and logs, and formerly common in gardens under stones, boards and potted plants. [1][2][3]

Retreats to burrows or underground crevices in sandy or gravelly soil in cold or dry weather. [1][2][3]

Terrestrial breeder with no aquatic larval stage; eggs are laid in fall and winter. Feeds on small invertebrates such as insects, spiders, snails and sowbugs. [1][2][3]

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

Southern California from the base of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains south to El Rosario, Baja California, plus Catalina and offshore islands; up to about 1,500 m. Not in Canada.

Biology

Sources

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

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. California Department of Fish and Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30

    California Department of Fish and Wildlife

  3. Baldwin Hills Conservancy (State of California) · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Baldwin Hills Conservancy (State of California)