CA/OR: New salamander species identified

Bakersfield Californian ^ | 5/17/05 | William McCall - AP

[sergeantdave]

I can barely contain my excitement.

Ode to Mr. Salamander

O, joy! O, joy!
The Rice Krispies are popping in the box
And the moon is bouncing off the star.
Don't tell me I taste like chicken
Unless you're eating me in some bar.

[calex59]

This is obviously an attempt to replace the spotted owl with a species that will have to have "old growth" forest to survive. The spotted owl was outed as a species that can live in any forest and so now the need for a new species that has to have "old growth" forest; now that they have one they can start pressuring Bush Administration to stop all logging everywhere immediately. Makes sense to me.

[forester]

The genetic analysis was done at Oregon State University

This is a very good example of why the ESA no longer works. This supposed species, just like the Siskiyou Mountain salamander, looks identical to the Del Norte salamder, which is as common as blacktail deer. Several years back, some of these were found on one of our projects....after we had logged. We agreed to let the property, near Scott Bar, be included in a study done by a local timber company. It was ideally suited as I had used several different cutting prescriptions, and thus had created different canopy levels.

While they did not find them in the middle of the small clearcuts we had done, they did find them in the skidtrails, on the edge of the clearcuts, and in the partial cut areas. If there was talus with partial shade - they were there.

Before we had the property surveyed, the landowner and I went with an old (1960's) Audobon book of reptiles and turned over rocks. We found two different types. I called the biologist and reported what we found...we thought it was great because, in our mind, it proved that logging did not kill salamanders. Then the conversation got weird. He said that there was no way to tell which type of salamander we had found out in the woods. How do you tell them apart I asked?

There was a long pause on the phone, he sighed and said, "After you get the special permit from DFG you remove the liver from the salamander and do DNA testing on it. The only way to tell the difference between the Siskiyou Mountain Salamander and the Del Norte salamander is at the mitachondrial DNA level."

This was ten years ago. At that time, AT&T was running a new telephone line thru the area. They had been going down the side of State Highway 96 and burying the line in the roadside ditch. This stopped near Scott Bar because they found salamnders in the roadside ditch. They then trenched down the middle of the highway. The cost went up to AT&T and the taxpayers, who then had to pay to repave the highway. This whole situation is beyond stupid IMHO

[blackie]

Eradicate them, now ~ we have too many salamader species!!!

Hang 'em High!

[SierraWasp]

Kinda reminds me of our gnewts, down here! One stream running past our former landfill is totally polluted with the residue from their love making this time of year!!!

[F.J. Mitchell]

"Humans taste like pork."

LOL! That may explain why the Muslim species hate us.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Hee, hee, hee. Now that's phowl Jeff.

Phoul but funny but phunny.

[F.J. Mitchell]

The spotted owl species only seemed endangered because it hid and slept by day and played all night and was so seldom seen by humans that it was thought to be only one bird . That's how it got it's name, "Spotted Owl" , not because of it's speckled feathers- for everytime a human accidently spotted one, he yelled out, "Spotted Owl! Spotted Owl."

[editor-surveyor]

"The only way to tell the difference between the Siskiyou Mountain Salamander and the Del Norte salamander is at the mitachondrial DNA level."

So then they're like the offspring of mono-zygotic human twins. The only way to tell the diff for them is also at the mitochondrial level.

Games.

[blackie]

Eradicate all salamanders!

[Vinnie]

The Scott Bar salamander lives in the extreme northwestern corner of California on rocky slopes under mature and old-growth forest. The dense forest canopy helps retain moisture that is key for the survival of the salamander, which is highly sensitive to drying out.

I'm surprised they didn't add.."The primary food of the spotted- owl"

These 'scientists' are down on their hands and knees trying to find a species that must be protected.
( probably using a little Clorox on a common species)

[cmsgop]

I'm not telling.......

[tubebender]

True story...During the height of the Flood of 1964 the military was doing rescue and flying in supplies to the towns cut off from civilization. A local radio station had a Colonel on the only radio station still on the air and was relaying information to the outlying areas. A report came in that several people were isolated at Scott Bar on the Klamath River and the Colonel said they were low priority because they had shelter, food and plenty of beer. As I lay on the floor laughing my a%% off the DJ tells him that that was the name of a place not a pub.

[editor-surveyor]

What kind of salamanders hang out at bars anyway?

These are definately "at-risk" salamanders! :o)

[forester]

Games.

Precisely.

[oceanperch]

OK But when the fresh pork skin is fried which is tastier?

And how about those pickled knuckle bones.

( I am kidding)

BTW I can't eat pork after reading about Civil War starvation diets.

[The SISU kid]

Gice me a ping Vassillis, one ping only please....

8^)

[Salamander]

But I told Bob & Marge to stay -hidden-!