April 10, 2006
the salamander's tail
As the "washing machine" weather cycle continues here, rinsing us daily with torrents of water, I haven't seen much of the garden. Sometimes I don rubber boots and a wide-brimmed hat to run out and cut some herbs or check on the progress of the sweet peas (making sure they haven't been eaten). But mostly I just run down to the basement to turn the pump on. I opened the basement door in this process to check on the hose running out the cat door and found a salamander clinging to the door, and another one trying to creep in over the threshold. These were the "legless" kind, or California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus) commonly found around here and coastal northern California. I tried to shoo it off the door but it just raised its tail and dropped to the floor. I got my gloves and attempted to pick it up but, as I thought it would, the little guy just jettisoned his tail and played dead. The tail coiled and squirmed in a pretty good imitation of a live something-or-other. But it didn't fool me. I finally got him out the door (while the cat looked on interestedly), wondering what would become of his tail.
But I didn't have to worry about what would become of the salamander who would eventually grow a new tail. In fact, according to an article I read just the day before, the salamander can regrow its limbs, jaws, lens and retina of the eyes, and its intestine--as well as its tail. It takes about a month.
I'm not sure why the salamanders were trying to get into the basement. Though at the moment it is probably the perfect spot for creatures preferring damp environs even if a large hairy predator makes frequent forays down the stairs.
