- Cope's Giant Salamander
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Cope's Giant Salamander Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Caudata Family: Dicamptodontidae Genus: Dicamptodon Species: D. copei Binomial name Dicamptodon copei
Nussbaum, 1970Cope's Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon copei) is a species of salamander in the Dicamptodontidae family.[2] It reaches between 12.4–19.1 cm (4⅞ – 7½ in). The salamander resembles Pacific Giant Salamander larvae, but it never transforms to a terrestrial stage. It is smaller overall with a narrower head and shorter limbs. It is brown above with patches of yellowish-tan covering clusters of white skin glands, its belly is dark bluish-gray. The salamander has 12–13 inconspicuous costal grooves. There are three closely related species to this taxon: D. ensatus, (California Giant Salamander), D. aterrimus (Idaho Giant Salamander) and D. tenebrosus (Coastal Giant Salamander).[3]
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Behavior
The Cope's Giant Salamanders habits in the wild are largely unknown. They generally do not metamorphose into adults. Rather they mature sexually in the larval stage, known as paedomorphosis. However, approximately 66 adults have been found in the wild and mature larvae in the lab have been transformed via thyroid treatments.
Habitat and range
D. copei is endemic to the Pacific Northwestern portion of the United States. It is found on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Its natural habitat is temperate forests, rivers, freshwater lakes, and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss and human population expansion.
Sources
- G. Hammerson. 2004. Dicamptodon copei. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.
- C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Pacific Giant Salamander: Dicamptodon ensatus, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
- John L. Behler and F. Wayne King. 1979. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians
Line notes
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