Plethodon vehiculum
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The western red-backed salamander (Plethodon vehiculum) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. The species is found in extreme southwestern Canada and the northwestern United States. The western red-backed salamander is found in temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. It is considered widespread in the region and is not strictly associated with a specific habitat type.
The western red-backed salamander has a slender build with relatively short limbs. Adults average 1.5 to 2 in (3.8 to 5.1 cm) in snout-to-vent length (SVL), and 3 to 4.5 in (7.6 to 11.4 cm) in total length (including tail). The western red-backed salamander has a colored stripe on its back, which extends from the anterior of the head to the end of the tail. The coloration of the stripe is highly variable, ranging from the typical reddish orange to bright yellow, with melanism also being documented in the species.
The western red-backed salamander is found from southwestern Oregon to southwestern British Columbia. Within that geographic range, the salamander is found from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Coast. The western... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Western Red-backed Salamander sighting in Olympic National Park on a given day, based on 121 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 13 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Western Red-backed Salamander in Olympic National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Red-backed Salamander sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Western Red-backed Salamander sightings, Olympic National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (Canada, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Red-backed Salamander is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Olympic National Park (121 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
