Discovered in my backyard on March 23, 2013 in moist dirt.
Endemic to California, usually found in a variety of habitats: chaparral, woodland, grassland, forests, urban yards, vacant lots, marshes, and beach driftwood. Generally found in moist locations, under logs, rocks, bark, leaf litter, stumps, debris. Can be very abundant in an area.
Defensive behaviors include: coiling and remaining still, then uncoiling quickly and springing away, repeatedly bouncing over the ground for a distance, then remaining still; releasing sticky noxious skin secretions which can glue shut a predator’s mouth; and releasing the tail to let its movement distract a predator. A released or severed tail will regenerate.
Lungless Salamanders breathe through their skin which requires them to live in damp environments on land and to move about on the ground only during times of high humidity. (In California, they do not inhabit streams or bodies of water, but they are capable of surviving for some time if they fall into water.)