Home: Species at Risk: Salamander

Long-toed Salamander

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Most of the Long-toed Salamander populations in Alberta are concentrated in mountain passes and associated river valleys. These landforms likely served as colonization routes over the continental divide from British Columbia. There is some evidence that the Waterton Lakes, Castle River and Crowsnest Pass populations invaded from the south. Maximum elevations at which Longtoed Salamanders are found in Alberta range from 2260 m in the south to 1495 m in the north. The lower elevations occupied in the north are likely a function of the altitudinal decrease in the limits of the growing season with increasing latitude.

The Long-toed Salamander was not well studied in Alberta until recently, so it is not known if the species is experiencing a range change in the province. Evidence suggests that the populations from the Bow River Valley south have reached their eastern limit along the edge of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The presence of Tiger Salamanders to the east and other unknown factors are likely limiting Long-toed Salamanders to their present range in this area. Not enough information exists on the Athabasca River and Peace River populations to determine if those distributions are static, expanding or contracting.

Reprinted from Alberta Wildlife Status Report No. 22 (1999), with permission from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.

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