BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Ensatina eschscholtzii
Ensatina
| Scientific Name: | Ensatina eschscholtzii Gray, 1850 | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Ensatina | ||||||||||
| English Name Synonyms: |
Common Ensatina
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| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | A-ENES | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Jun 2015) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Sep 2023) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Not at Risk (May 1999) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Breeding occurs primarily in spring and fall (Stebbins 1985). Female broods a cluster of 7-25 eggs. Eggs hatch in fall or early winter. There is no aquatic larval stage. Reaches sexual maturity in 2.5-3.5 years (Stebbins 1954, Behler and King 1979). Maximum estimated age in the Sierra Nevada was 15 years (Staub et al. 1995). | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | Population densities of 283 salamanders/ha have been reported (Nussbaum et al. 1983). In the Sierra Nevada of California (subspecies PLATENSIS), in old-growth conifer forest, maximum distance moved in a multi-year study was 120 m for males and 61 m for females (Staub et al. 1995). | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / N / N / na / |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Forest / Conifer Forest - Moist/wet / Obligate
Forest / Deciduous/Broadleaf Forest / Facultative - frequent use Forest / Mixed Forest (deciduous/coniferous mix) / Obligate Riparian / Riparian Forest / Facultative - frequent use Subterranean / Sub-soil / Obligate |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | North: Douglas-fir/maple forests, forest clearings. In coastal areas, redwood forest, chaparral, oak woodland, canyons. Sierra Nevada: pine-oak-incense cedar forests. In dry or cold weather: in caves, underground, in rotting logs. Eggs are laid undergound, or under the bark of or within rotting logs (Stebbins 1985). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Invertivore: Adult, Immature
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | Feeds on a variety of invertebrates including insects (e.g., beetles, springtails, crickets), spiders, and millipedes. | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Hibernates/aestivates: Adult, Immature
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| Global Phenology Comments: | Inactive in cold temperatures and hot, dry weather. Emerges in fall with onset of rainly season and usually remains active until end of May or June (in the north and at high elevations) (Behler and King 1979). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 15/ / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Southwestern British Columbia south along Coast Ranges to extreme northwestern Baja California and the Sierra San Pedro Martir, Baja California (Mahrdt et al. 1998); and along western slopes of Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada. Recently recorded east of the Cascade crest in Washington (Darda et al. 2001). Absent from Sacramento-San Joaquin valley, California. Occurs from sea level to elevations of about 8,000 ft (Stebbins 1985). See Moritz et al. (1992) for a general but up-to-date distribution map. | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | May 07, 1996 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp. |
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Frost, D. R., and D. M. Hillis. 1990. Species in concept and practice: herpetological applications. Herpetologica 46:87-104. |
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Moritz, C., C. J. Schneider, and D. B. Wake. 1992. Evolutionary relationships within the ENSATINA ESCHSCHOLTZII complex confirm the ring species interpretation. Syst. Biol. 41:273-291. |
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Nussbaum, R.A., E.D. Brodie, Jr., and R.M. Storm. 1983. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. University Press of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 332 pp. |
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Ovaska, K, S. Lennart, C Engelstoft, L. Matthias, E. Wind and J. MacGarvie. 2004. Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia. Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection, Ecosystems Standards and Planning, Biodiversity Branch |
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Staub, N. L., C. W. Brown, and D. B. Wake. 1995. Patterns of growth and movements in a population of ENSATINA ESCHSCHOLTZII PLATENSIS (Caudata: Plethodontidae) in the Sierra Nevada, California. Journal of Herpetology 29:593-599. |
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Stebbins, R. C. 1954b. Natural history of the salamanders of the plethodontid genus Ensatina. Univ. California Publ. Zool. 54:377-512. |
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Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1996. Species Summary: Ensatina eschscholtzii. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Apr 6, 2026).