tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211670216140060946.post8581978534539172480..comments2024-03-17T18:37:36.377-07:00Comments on Geotripper: What To Do on a Rainy Day? Explore the Mother Lode Underground!Garry Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00531226195147986457noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211670216140060946.post-66746339313000449032012-12-03T21:54:39.033-08:002012-12-03T21:54:39.033-08:00It's an easy confusion to make. Some have sugg...It's an easy confusion to make. Some have suggested that the Yellow-eyed Ensatina is a newt mimic. Newts are poisonous, so the similar coloration may be an effective deterrent to raccoons and herons, fooling geologists may just be an unintended side effect.Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293693723899837239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211670216140060946.post-3877723321815390832012-12-03T11:25:00.413-08:002012-12-03T11:25:00.413-08:00Thanks! Someone may have told me that in the past,...Thanks! Someone may have told me that in the past, but then I was looking at pictures of Sierra newts and the color was so distinctive. Oh well, that's what you get when geologists play biologistsGarry Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00531226195147986457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211670216140060946.post-814312496001675332012-12-03T11:02:24.569-08:002012-12-03T11:02:24.569-08:00Nice looking caves!
Your salamander is a Yellow-e...Nice looking caves!<br /><br />Your salamander is a Yellow-eyed Ensatina (<i>Ensatina eschscholtzii</i>). Similar coloration to the Sierra Newt, but distinguished by smoother skin, more slender build, and the very well-defined costal grooves (the grooves running along the trunk that outline the muscles). <br /><br />These guys are very fond of caves (much more so than newts I think, although that's just my impression). They have an interesting distribution with one population in the coast ranges and another in the Sierra Foothills - presumably they either crossed the central valley at some point or had a broader range in the past that has shrunk into two unconnected fragments. Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293693723899837239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211670216140060946.post-2210356625593053542012-12-02T09:26:26.192-08:002012-12-02T09:26:26.192-08:00I desperately would love to see the cave paintings...I desperately would love to see the cave paintings in Lascaux!!Kathy Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18292046339546207357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211670216140060946.post-78594922354462559692012-12-02T00:04:26.327-08:002012-12-02T00:04:26.327-08:00Definitely worth the effort. The world below our f...Definitely worth the effort. The world below our feet is incredible and awesome.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08490609547220034503noreply@blogger.com