The Clouded Salamander (Scientific name: Aneides ferreus) also known as the “Climbing salamander” belongs to the family of Plethodontidae and the order Urodela. As the name suggests, these species use their prehensile tails and the square tip of the long and broad toes to climb trees.The name Clouded Salamander is derived from the clouded coloring on their backs and sides. These species have large, projecting eyes with glossy skin that is with marked costal grooves. Their mouth curves up behind the eyes which gives them the appearance of always smiling. The clouded Salamander are nocturnal in nature and spend most of the day hiding under decaying logs and during night move out for foraging. If any predator is spotted, these salamanders use several tactics to defend themselves, for example, they remain motionless, crawl away quickly, make fast jerky motions, or raise up to the legs while waving the tail.If you liked these true facts about clouded Salamander, then you’ll surely like these facts about marbled salamander and Jefferson salamander too!
Fun Clouded Salamander Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Small invertebrates
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 9-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g)
How long are they? 5 in (13 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Pale gray and olive green
Skin Type Soft and moist skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Near Threatened
Where you’ll find them? Temperate Forests
Locations California, Oregon
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Aneides
Class Amphibia
Family Plethodontidae
Clouded Salamander Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a clouded salamander?A clouded salamander (Aneides ferreus) is a species of lungless salamander. These amphibians are well-known for their nasolabial grooves with vertical slits between the upper lip and the nostrils that are ruled with glands correlated with chemoreception.What class of animal does a clouded salamander belong to?A clouded salamander (Aneides ferreus) belongs to the class of Amphibian, as they are cold-blooded, four-limbed vertebrates.How many clouded salamanders are there in the world?There is no accurate count on the national population of these clouded salamanders.Where does a clouded salamander live?The clouded salamander (Aneides ferreus) is endemic to Northwest Pacific, these salamanders are almost exclusively found in the wet coastal forests of Northern California and Oregon. Their habitat range expands from the south of Columbia River through the Siskiyou County, Western Cascades, and Coast mountain of Oregon to northwestern California. In California, clouded salamanders have a habitat range that extends from the junctions of Goose and Hurdygurdy Creeks to the South Fork of the Smith River.What is a clouded salamander’s habitat?Clouded salamander occurs in wet coastal forests of cedar, redwood, alder, and Douglas fir. The clouded salamander (Aneides ferreus), is a species that prefers less dense and wet forests to dry dense forest stands. These amphibians usually shelter under barks of dead trees, under rotten logs, barks, large rocks on the ground, and services in cliffs. These salamanders prefer a habitat with decaying Douglas fir logs that are recently logged or burnt with a huge amount of wood debris and stumps.Who do clouded salamanders live with?Clouded salamanders are nocturnal amphibians that mostly hide during the day. As they are extremely aggressive creatures, many clouded salamanders are found with many scars on their body.The male clouded salamander appears to be territorial and aggressive, and they fight with other males by using the chemical signals from fecal pellets. But during the dry weather, they are often seen to become communal and gather together inside decaying logs, barks, and under large rocks.How long does a clouded salamander live?The clouded salamander (Aneides ferreus) is known to live for 12-14 years in the wild. In captivity, these clouded salamanders can live up to 18 years if provided a proper diet and favorable habitat.How do they reproduce?Females of this salamander species sexually mature at the age of three years old, whereas males sexually mature a year earlier than females. A male during courtship uses his mental gland under the chin to secrete pheromones and rub the mental gland over the female’s snout. The reproduction of these species is terrestrial, unlike most other salamanders who reproduce and lay eggs in water. The clouded salamander prefers laying her eggs in the rotting douglas-fir logs.What is their conservation status?The conversation status of Clouded Salamander (Aneides ferreus) is listed as a species of Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, due to the continuous decline in the population. The major reason behind the decline of population is the change in forest management.Clouded Salamander Fun FactsWhat does clouded salamander look like?The clouded salamander (Aneides ferreus) is a slim and long salamander species with comparatively long legs, square end toes, and a prehensile tail. This amphibian has two nasolabial grooves which join the nostrils to its mouth and sixteen marked costal grooves down its sides. The upper side of the body is pale grey with uneven gold, olive green, reddish blotches.Adult males have broader and more triangular heads when compared to females. In Oregon and California, some adults are uniformly dark brown in color with only a few off-white spots.How cute are they?If you are someone who is fond of cute animals then the clouded salamanders are not the best definition of cuteness. However, in comparison to the much larger hellbender salamanders, they are at least tolerable to look at.How do they communicate?Clouded salamanders communicate through chemical pheromones and use their motion sensory to avoid predators, similar to the fire salamander of the same Urodela order.How big is a clouded salamander?Adult clouded salamanders can grow up to 5 in (13 cm) in total length, which is similar to the tiger salamander of the Ambystomatidae family.How fast can a clouded salamander run?Clouded salamander (Aneides ferreus) is a species of salamander that moves very slow in its habitat and naturally hides under the decaying logs and bark. However, if faced against predators these amphibians crawl fast and hide under the logs and barks.How much does a clouded salamander weigh?Clouded salamanders are medium-sized salamanders endemic to the forests of the Pacific Northwest, these amphibians can grow and weigh up to 3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g).What are the male and female names of the species?The male and female cloud salamanders are known by their names because there is no specific name that is provided to differentiate the male from the female.What would you call a baby-clouded salamander?Young clouded salamanders do not have a specific name they are simply known as baby clouded salamanders because they do not go through the larvae state. These juveniles have brassy or copper dorsal stripes on their body and they prefer bark litters to hide under in their natural habitat range.What do they eat?The diet of clouded salamanders majorly consists of small invertebrates such as beetles, ants, and woodlice. Adults also feed on pseudoscorpions, millipedes, mites, flies, spiders, centipedes, and termites.Are they poisonous?Clouded salamanders have poison glands that help them in protecting themselves from predators in their natural habitat range by secreting a poisonous liquid that is used to thwart predators.Would they make a good pet?Clouded salamanders are not suitable to be pet animals due to their solitary nature. They hide under the decaying logs and bark of douglas-fir and come out only during the night for foraging.They are glossy and shiny creatures to look at, but at the same time, Aneides ferreus is a species sensitive to its natural habitat range and habitat loss is one of the major reasons behind the decline in their population.Did you know…The name salamander derives from the Greek word meaning ‘fire lizards’.Even though the clouded salamanders that are native to California do not inhabit water bodies, they can efficiently survive for a short period if they fall into the water.The current population distribution of the clouded salamander is restricted mostly to Oregon as most of the British Columbia and California exhibits were assigned to the new species known as the Wandering Salamanders (Aneides vagrans).Chinese giant salamander is the largest species of Salamander in the world which can grow up to 45 in (114.3 cm).How many babies do clouded salamander have? Breeding season starts in the late spring or early summer, where the females lay 9-17 eggs in a single clutch and the incubation period is two months. The larvae develop inside the eggs and thus hatched into a small terrestrial salamander with a similar appearance to an adult.Does clouded salamander have lungs? Clouded Salamanders are plethodontid salamanders which means they do not have lungs to breathe with, these species breathe through the thin moist skin.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these granular poison frog facts and fowler’s toad facts for kids.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable salamander eggs coloring pages.Main image by Bill Bouton and second image by Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.
What type of animal is a clouded salamander?
A clouded salamander (Aneides ferreus) is a species of lungless salamander. These amphibians are well-known for their nasolabial grooves with vertical slits between the upper lip and the nostrils that are ruled with glands correlated with chemoreception.
Fun Clouded Salamander Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Small invertebrates
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 9-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g)
How long are they? 5 in (13 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Pale gray and olive green
Skin Type Soft and moist skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Near Threatened
Where you’ll find them? Temperate Forests
Locations California, Oregon
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Aneides
Class Amphibia
Family Plethodontidae
Fun Clouded Salamander Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Small invertebrates
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 9-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g)
How long are they? 5 in (13 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Pale gray and olive green
Skin Type Soft and moist skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Near Threatened
Where you’ll find them? Temperate Forests
Locations California, Oregon
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Aneides
Class Amphibia
Family Plethodontidae
Fun Clouded Salamander Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Small invertebrates
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 9-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g)
How long are they? 5 in (13 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Pale gray and olive green
Skin Type Soft and moist skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Near Threatened
Where you’ll find them? Temperate Forests
Locations California, Oregon
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Aneides
Class Amphibia
Family Plethodontidae
Fun Clouded Salamander Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Small invertebrates
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 9-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g)
How long are they? 5 in (13 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Pale gray and olive green
Skin Type Soft and moist skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Near Threatened
Where you’ll find them? Temperate Forests
Locations California, Oregon
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Aneides
Class Amphibia
Family Plethodontidae
What do they prey on? Small invertebrates
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 9-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g)
How long are they? 5 in (13 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Pale gray and olive green
Skin Type Soft and moist skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Near Threatened
Where you’ll find them? Temperate Forests
Locations California, Oregon
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Aneides
Class Amphibia
Family Plethodontidae
What do they prey on? Small invertebrates
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 9-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g)
How long are they? 5 in (13 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Pale gray and olive green
Skin Type Soft and moist skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Near Threatened
What do they prey on?
Small invertebrates
What do they eat?
Carnivore
Average litter size?
9-17 eggs
How much do they weigh?
3.8-8 oz (107.7-226.7 g)
How long are they?
5 in (13 cm)
How tall are they?
N/A
What do they look like?
Pale gray and olive green
Skin Type
Soft and moist skin
What were their main threats?
Humans
What is their conservation status?
Near Threatened
Where you’ll find them? Temperate Forests
Locations California, Oregon
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Aneides
Class Amphibia
Family Plethodontidae
Where you’ll find them?
Temperate Forests
Locations
California, Oregon
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Aneides
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Aneides
Class Amphibia
Family Plethodontidae
