Northwestern Salamander
Ambystoma gracile
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAmphibia (Amfibis)
- OrderCaudata (Caudats)
- FamilyAmbystomatidae (Mole Salamanders)
- GenusAmbystoma (Mole Salamanders)
- SpeciesAmbystoma gracile (Northwestern Salamander)
The northwestern salamander (Ambystoma gracile) is a species of mole salamander that inhabits the northwest Pacific coast of North America. These fairly large salamanders grow to 8.7 in (220 mm) in length. It is found from southeastern Alaska on May Island, through Washington and Oregon south to the mouth of the Gualala River, Sonoma County, California. It occurs from sea level to the timberline, but not east of the Cascade Divide. Its range includes Vancouver Island in British Columbia and The San Juan Islands, Cypress, Whidbey, Bainbridge, and Vashon Islands in Washington. Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Northwestern Salamander sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 52 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Olympic National Park
Long-toed Salamander
Ambystoma macrodactylum
Cope's Giant Salamander
Dicamptodon copei
Rough-skinned Newt
Taricha granulosa
Western Red-backed Salamander
Plethodon vehiculum
Ensatina
Ensatina eschscholtzii
Olympic Salamander
Rhyacotriton olympicus
Wandering Salamander
Aneides vagrans
Van Dyke's Salamander
Plethodon vandykei
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Northwestern Salamander in Olympic National Park?
About 7% of wildlife watchers report a Northwestern Salamander sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 52 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Northwestern Salamander in Olympic National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Northwestern Salamander in Olympic National Park in our monthly data.