# Help! What the hell is this creature? Found many in backyard



## htabbas (Oct 25, 2011)

In my backyard I found these gross-looking creatures. They are like skinless lizzards. This photo is showing a small one but I had just seen two big ones (4" long). They mostly hid beind bricks or wood. They don't move at all. Like half dead. Really creepy. My house is no where near any creek or ponds.

What the hell are these things? what do they eat? what are they up to? thanks!


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## nanuk (Aug 14, 2011)

It is a salamander, an amphibian with a prominent tail.
Cute, harmless and as ancient as the dinosaurs.


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## htabbas (Oct 25, 2011)

nanuk said:


> It is a salamander, an amphibian with a prominent tail.
> Cute, harmless and as ancient as the dinosaurs.


 
Thanks! Found the name for it. Just read about it. I think I read about it somewhere many many years ago but forgot.

OK. I am afraid of this thing. I don't think it cute either. How to get these things away from my yard? I might not be very nice if I just kill them.


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## nanuk (Aug 14, 2011)

Salamanders have been fascinating people since antiquity. Plato wrote about them. They are the subject of intense biomedical research for their ability to regenerate body parts. They can control their developmental stage at will. Most are already extinct.

They have been around a good 150 million years before us,
yet you don't think they deserve a little place in your California back yard, and you want to kill them.

I don't think anyone can help you...


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

They are a good thing to have in your garden----Learn to accept them and don't cause them harm---

Absolutely harmless----


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

As you have been correctly advised, salamanders do no harm to your garden, family or pets. They hide from predators that include birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and toads. They eat small insects. Please leave them alone. It is actually unusual to see them out and about and you might not see another one for several months. Sometimes a heavy rain will encourage them to leave their shelters. We have them in the forest nearby but I would be delighted if they lived in my garden or yard. Probably more info than you wanted.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Kill them and there will be more insects. They also eat mosquisto larve.


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## nanuk (Aug 14, 2011)

retired guy 60 is right. They are a rare sight, and if you see them often, you are blessed!
I wish you could ship them to me. I'll pay any associated cost


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## TheBobmanNH (Oct 23, 2012)

nanuk said:


> Salamanders have been fascinating people since antiquity. Plato wrote about them. They are the subject of intense biomedical research for their ability to regenerate body parts. They can control their developmental stage at will. Most are already extinct.
> 
> They have been around a good 150 million years before us,
> yet you don't think they deserve a little place in your California back yard, and you want to kill them.
> ...


I see nothing in the OP about killing them. Stop putting words in people's mouths.


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## nanuk (Aug 14, 2011)

TheBobmanNH said:


> I see nothing in the OP about killing them. Stop putting words in people's mouths.


"I am afraid of this thing. I don't think it cute either. How to get these things away from my yard? I might not be very nice if I just kill them"


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

httbas,
I understand how you feel. A salamander is not exactly a warm, cuddly kitten. Maybe if you learned more about them you would be less fearful. I know that some people are even afraid of beautiful butterflies. They can't control how they feel. But we can all control how we behave. As I wrote, you may not see another salamander for many months. Perhaps you have a son, husband or brother who can place the salamander in the woods. The best spot is near damp rotting wood such as a fallen tree. The last time I made a suggestion like this regarding a gopher I really stirred up a hornet's nest from two gentleman who favored execution to relocation. As I read their posts I kept hearing Duelling Banjos from the movie Deliverance.
Seriously, you can, I am hopeful, overcome your fear.
When I was a child we had an enormous roach problem stemming from living in a New York City housing project right over the laundry room where the roaches bred. At night, they would crawl over me as I slept. Sounds pretty bad, right? Later when I became a teenager I became fascinated with tarantulas, black widow spiders, cobras, rattlesnakes and other often disliked creatures. My bedroom became a zoo, filled with fishtanks and cages housing my pets. And I had no fear of any of those creatures despite my hatred of roaches which I still dislike but no longer fear.
To make a long story short, humans are remarkable creatures capable of overcoming all sorts of things, if the motivation is there.
Thank you all for reading this long and possibly boring disseration.


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## TheBobmanNH (Oct 23, 2012)

nanuk said:


> "I am afraid of this thing. I don't think it cute either. How to get these things away from my yard? I might not be very nice if I just kill them"


Ooops. Didn't see the followup.


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## htabbas (Oct 25, 2011)

nanuk said:


> "I am afraid of this thing. I don't think it cute either. How to get these things away from my yard? I might not be very nice if I just kill them"


Dude, I meant that I kinda feel bad if I kill them so I didn't end up doing it. There were two big ones (~4" long) who lived under a board. When I turn over the board they were standing still. Not even move a bit. I nudge them a bit, no reaction either. That's how I got the creepy feeling. I returned the next morning and they are gone.

I didn't know salamanda is that rare. So all of a sudden this thing doesn't look that disgusting any more. I will keep an eye on them.


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## htabbas (Oct 25, 2011)

retired guy 60 said:


> httbas,
> I understand how you feel. A salamander is not exactly a warm, cuddly kitten. Maybe if you learned more about them you would be less fearful. I know that some people are even afraid of beautiful butterflies. They can't control how they feel. But we can all control how we behave. As I wrote, you may not see another salamander for many months. Perhaps you have a son, husband or brother who can place the salamander in the woods. The best spot is near damp rotting wood such as a fallen tree. The last time I made a suggestion like this regarding a gopher I really stirred up a hornet's nest from two gentleman who favored execution to relocation. As I read their posts I kept hearing Duelling Banjos from the movie Deliverance.
> Seriously, you can, I am hopeful, overcome your fear.
> When I was a child we had an enormous roach problem stemming from living in a New York City housing project right over the laundry room where the roaches bred. At night, they would crawl over me as I slept. Sounds pretty bad, right? Later when I became a teenager I became fascinated with tarantulas, black widow spiders, cobras, rattlesnakes and other often disliked creatures. My bedroom became a zoo, filled with fishtanks and cages housing my pets. And I had no fear of any of those creatures despite my hatred of roaches which I still dislike but no longer fear.
> ...


Thanks for your sharing. I somehow could never get over the fear on snakes, lizzards and all sorts of amphibians. I am fine with most other creatures. Fear is a very strange thing. Take the salamander for example, after a couple of hours reading about these things, I am kinda OK for them to live around but I would definately not get anywhere close to them. 

Thanks everybody to chime in.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

htabbas said:


> In my backyard I found these gross-looking creatures. They are like skinless lizzards. This photo is showing a small one but I had just seen two big ones (4" long). They mostly hid beind bricks or wood. They don't move at all. Like half dead. Really creepy. My house is no where near any creek or ponds.
> 
> What the hell are these things? what do they eat? what are they up to? thanks!


When I moved to N California with parents, as a kid, we lived near a creek in the East Foothills of San Jose---the armpit of the Bay. It snowed orchard blossoms in the Spring. There were all kinds of things like you show in the picture but many became extinct as the orchards gave way to tacky track homes and the environment was dangerously compressed. Birds that used to eat snails and slugs went away and blue belly lizzard that ate bugs in wood piles too. We had giant king snakes that looked like rattlers that kept field mouse populations under control but they all went away. Nice to see you have some creatures and I assure you they will cause you no harm.

Our yard also had all kinds of fossilized remains of creatures in rocks and as you got closer to places like Alviso you saw more and more. Ancestors of that little salamander clan have been in the Bay Area longer than you. 

Just where in the Bay Area are you? Salamanders still live in moist environment leak in the leaves of the redwoods off Highway 9 and of course the giant banana slug can be found there. It is the official mascot of the University of California-Santa Cruz. None of these creatures will cause you any harm although some are sensitive to the slime of the giant slugs. Of course European snails that snuck into the environment raise havoc with plants and I fully support squashing them with your bare feet.

I hope you can come to admire those that share your environment. As for what they are up to in your yard? They are amphibians and can live on land or in and out of water. I suspect your sprinkler system and so forth is providing them with the moisture they need.


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## mimijack (Aug 5, 2012)

My brother and I had them as pets growing up in Oregon. They are cute and not a problem.


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## nanuk (Aug 14, 2011)

mimijack said:


> My brother and I had them as pets growing up in Oregon. They are cute and not a problem.


How cute is that? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d_TENp5qCE


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## htabbas (Oct 25, 2011)

I live in Sunnyvale. It used to be Cherry orchards around here. But since the tract homes were built in the area in the 1950s, those orchards are long gone. As I read, this thing is called Santa Cruz Black Salamander, distributing mainly in Santa Cruz County and West side of San Mateo county. Sunnyvale is a pretty dry place but somehow a few of them still manage to survive, maybe due to my springklers like someone pointed out. :laughing: 

Actually I was trying to find those two big ones this afternoon. I turned all the wood and rocks in my backyard but couldn't find them anywhere. Not that I like them but since I have read so much about their species, I now get a bit curious.




sdsester said:


> When I moved to N California with parents, as a kid, we lived near a creek in the East Foothills of San Jose---the armpit of the Bay. It snowed orchard blossoms in the Spring. There were all kinds of things like you show in the picture but many became extinct as the orchards gave way to tacky track homes and the environment was dangerously compressed. Birds that used to eat snails and slugs went away and blue belly lizzard that ate bugs in wood piles too. We had giant king snakes that looked like rattlers that kept field mouse populations under control but they all went away. Nice to see you have some creatures and I assure you they will cause you no harm.
> 
> Our yard also had all kinds of fossilized remains of creatures in rocks and as you got closer to places like Alviso you saw more and more. Ancestors of that little salamander clan have been in the Bay Area longer than you.
> 
> ...


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

htabbas said:


> I live in Sunnyvale. It used to be Cherry orchards around here. But since the tract homes were built in the area in the 1950s, those orchards are long gone. As I read, this thing is called Santa Cruz Black Salamander, distributing mainly in Santa Cruz County and West side of San Mateo county. Sunnyvale is a pretty dry place but somehow a few of them still manage to survive, maybe due to my springklers like someone pointed out. :laughing:


Sometimes just learning more about the creatures that share this planet with us increases understanding. Like it or not, and Sunnyvale is known to me, you have created an environment that amphibians can survive. I think this amazingly cool. 

As have others, I promise these little black Santa Cruz salamanders will not hurt you. They are just predicting the end of the World as you know it. We all know California has to suffer a major fault split and part of it must fall into the Pacific Ocean. The sooner the better IMO. 

If you really want to stress out these little creatures, there is a way. Find the one with a Jimmy Buffet cap and follow it back to where you will find them all carving surfboards or trimming sails for large sailboats.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

The only creatures we 'discourage' in our yard are Black Widow spiders (and termites).....EVERYTHING else is welcome.....well, expect for the ants.....but not much you can do about them.


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

I too have a list of unwelcome creatures as well and black widow spiders and termites are high on the list. Unfortunately salamanders are generally no match to black widow spiders but termites are eaten by many reptiles and amphibians.


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