California Giant Salamander vs. Pacific Giant Salamander

Split on genetics; the two meet only in Mendocino County, where their records overlap. A: A fine, delicate network of copper, brassy or reddish-tan marbling over dark brown in the California Giant Salamander; coarser, bolder, more widely spaced dark blotches on a tan to grey ground in the Pacific Giant Salamander. B: Slightly smaller: adults 6.75 to 12 in (17-30 cm) in the California Giant Salamander; larger: to 13.5 in (34 cm), one of the biggest land salamanders in North America in the Pacific Giant Salamander. Costal grooves (12-13) are the same in both. The pattern difference is a tendency, not a rule: where they meet in Mendocino County, range is the surest guide (California Giant to the south).

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• California Giant Salamander vs. Northwestern Salamander
• Northwestern Salamander vs. Pacific Giant Salamander
• Cope's Giant Salamander vs. Pacific Giant Salamander

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