Reptiles and Amphibians

Hellbenders are the largest salamander in North America.  There are two subspecies -the Allegheny and the Ozark hellbender.   Some taxonomists (splitters) believe they are two are separate species, but recent DNA work indicates otherwise.  The Allegheny hellbender is found in a number of Mid-Atlantic/southern states from southern New York to Georgia.  The Ozarks subspecies is […]

The western pond turtle is one of only two native turtles found in Washington and Oregon; the other is the western painted turtle.  Western pond turtles are not doing so well at the northern extent of their range in Washington.  While historically they may not have been common this far north, they were essentially extirpated

Black caiman along the River Beni, Amazon Basin, Bolivia  young reader of OOTH (Cash) asked about Nile crocodiles – but since I have never seen one of these we had to settle for this large critter. This species is found throughout the Amazon Basin but its range does extend further north.   The species occurs in Bolivia,

t has never occurred to me to speak with elegant animals.  I am not curious about the opinion of wasps or of racing mares.  Let them settle matters while flying, let them win decorations by running!  I want to speak with flies, with the bitch that has recently littered, and to converse with snakes…….I want

his is North America’s largest terrestrial salamander (the aquatic one for a later time!).   These critters grow to about 13 inches in total length.   They range from southern B.C, through western WA and OR, and into northern CA and northern Idaho.  They are not found on the Olympic Peninsula where a closely related species, Cope’s