Cope's giant salamander (''Dicamptodon copei'') is a species of

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

in the family Dicamptodontidae, the Pacific giant salamanders.Behler, J. L. and F. W. King. (1979) ''National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians'', Knopf, It is native to

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

region of the United States.

Description

This species can attain lengths up to 19.5 centimeters. It exhibits

neoteny Neoteny (), also called juvenilization,Montagu, A. (1989). Growing Young. Bergin & Garvey: CT. is the delaying or slowing of the Physiology, physiological, or Somatic (biology), somatic, development of an organism, typically an animal. Neoteny i ...

rarely undergoing metamorphosis to the adult form, and resembles the larvae of similar salamander species. It usually becomes sexually, but not physically, mature. It is gold and brown in color. The

costal groove The rib cage or thoracic cage is an endoskeletal enclosure in the thorax of most vertebrates that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum, which protect the vital organs of the thoracic cavity, such as the heart, lungs and great vessels ...

s are inconspicuous. It has a rounded snout and the laterally compressed, fin-like tail of a typical larva. It retains its gills.Hallock, L. A. and McAllister, K. R. 2009
Cope's Giant Salamander.
Washington Herp Atlas. Dicamptodon copei larva

Behavior

Little is known about the species' habitat requirements, but it has been found in mountain pools and streams.''Dicamptodon copei''.
AmphibiaWeb. 2016. It feeds on smaller animals, such as fish, amphibians and their eggs, including the larvae of its own species. The female lays a clutch of around 50 and up to 115 eggs in wet habitat near water bodies. She guards them and possibly defends them aggressively.

Conservation

The range of this species extends from the

Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...

to northern

. Its populations are likely stable to slightly declining. Threats include water temperature change and silt from nearby

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucks''Dicamptodon copei''.
NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Accessed 25 June 2016.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2274540 Dicamptodon Endemic amphibians of the United States Amphibians described in 1970 Natural history of Washington (state) Natural history of Oregon Taxonomy articles created by Polbot