Del Norte County, California

California Giant Salamander

(Dicamptodon tenebrosus)

The giant salamanders are the largest terrestrial species of salamanders in the world. There are some species of salamander that are larger, but they all live only in the water. We have two species of giant salamander in California; Mendocino county and north is the home of Dicamptodon tenebrosus while the California Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus) lives south of Mendocino and down into Santa Cruz County.

This was easily the largest “Dicamp” I’ve ever seen, being about seven inches from snout tip to base of tail (about 13 inches including the tail).