Giant salamander lovers anonymous...

I've formed a group for Dicamptodon enthusiasts... I know there aren't many of us out there, but that is why we need to stick together...

post some pics,
pop questions,
procure answers,
help build a better knowledge bank for these cryptic caudates!

oh... here, so you don't have to work too hard...
http://www.caudata.org/forum/group.php?groupid=23

hi. i live in northern utah and found a giant salamander in my back yard. i didn't know what it was until just today when finding this forum. i'm not sure if i want to keep it, it was just strange finding this fellow here, i have never seen one before. after reading about them, i may know where it came from. about a quarter mile from my house is a irrigation canal that the city is piping in. i think it must of been living there and is trying to find a new home. i was considering on keeping it, with much protests from my wife, but i do have it in a 10 gallon aquarium atm, but not sure of what i can feed it. it is only 3" in length, so i don't think it is very old, since they grow to 13". i got some mealworms (not living) from the pet store and it doesn't seem interested in them. i would like to keep it but my wife i think will win this fight. it is a cute little guy though, i just don't know much about it.

I have seen records of giant salamanders from the southern edge of Idaho, but those records are missing from more recent maps. It's possible that giant salamanders might now or formerly have existed in the Wasatch Mountains. However, it's far more likely that you are dealing with a tiger salamander. There's a very noticeable difference in head structure, and giant salamanders are normally confined to mountain streams or similar streams in other cool forested areas. Dicamptodon eyes tend to be pointed forward, while tiger salamander eyes are much more upward and to the side ["buggy"]. At 3 inches total length, both would be gilled larvae. The giants I've seen don't transform quite so small as 3 inches SVL, though tigers often do. You should be able to identify it positively as a tiger in any case.

thanxs for the info i will post some pics if i can, i believe now it could be a tiger, but i am still not sure

yes that's a tiger salamander right there