Rhyacotriton variegatus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The southern torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton variegatus) is a member of the salamander family Rhyacotritonidae. This species of torrent salamander is found the farthest south in the Pacific Northwest region. It is a small salamander endemic from Northern California to Northern Oregon. It is one of four species of Rhyacotriton, along with R. cascadae, R. kezeri and R. olympicus. All species of Rhyacotriton are small, with their body lengths being less than 5 inches. The species reproduces annually, with an extended courtship and egg-laying period. The time it takes from oviposition to reach sexual maturity ranges from five to eight years, making the generation interval rather long. The larval stage, from hatching to metamorphosis, lasts 2.0-2.5 yr, with females requiring another 1.5–2.0 yr until they can first breed. They reach sexual maturity 1.0-1.5 yr after metamorphosis, which occurs between 4.5 and 5.0 yr. This species feeds on small insects and spiders. Although it is found over a large area, it is not a migratory creature. It is preyed on by Pacific giant salamanders and garter snakes.
The species in the genus Rhyacotriton are all similar in morphology but... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Torrent Salamander sighting in Redwood National Park on a given day, based on 122 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 14 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to March
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Torrent Salamander in Redwood National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August, the lowest month. Those are among Redwood National Park's wettest months, with about 300 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Torrent Salamander sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Redwood National Park, in our data
Redwood National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Torrent Salamander sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Caudata
The closest relatives of the Southern Torrent Salamander that you can see in Redwood National Park (order Caudata, Salamanders) are Coastal Giant Salamander (about 60%), Ensatina (about 60%) and California Slender Salamander (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Torrent Salamander is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Redwood National Park (122 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.
