Nechelle+Dean-Desert+Slendar+Salamander

=Desert Slender Salamander(//Batrachoseps Aridus//)=

Location and Nutural habitat
The Desert Slender Salamander was discovered 1969 in the hidden Plam Canyon, Southwestern California. They live through out the limestone stratra and desert canyons with an elevation of 760m. Limestone stratra is a sedimentary rock made with minerals of calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In 1976 portions on palm canyon was destroyed by a sever strom, damages encluded limestone sheeting and soil on the canyon walls. Desert Slender Salamanders were also found in the Guadalupe Canyon in 1970.

Niche
The Desert Slender Salamander is an endanger species in the palm canyons. However, during the active season the salamander moves from location to location to capture food such as spiders, mites, worms, snails, and other insectes; In the fall they find moist areas such as decaying logs. Being only 3.1-5 centimeters long they are preyed upon small mammals, Birds, and Arthropods. The Western Skink and the ringneck snake is predator to this small creature aswell. When the salamander is being preyed upon they hold their tail up to reseamble a earthworm, once their predator approches their tail the salamander detachs the tail from their body to protect theirselves. They live in inland aquatic ares like streams, canals, shrubs, and nonforest wetlands with high summer temperatures. During reproduction females lay their eggs in moist land areas however parental care is unlikely. There are about 1,000 living in the palm canyons area but about 500 stick together at a time. Most of the time you wont see these creatures move at all, they stay in one area(normally limestone stratra or scurbs).

Population Status
The Desert Slender Salamander has been listed as an endangered speices since 1971, there are about 1,000 living today in Palm canyon. Scientist predict ther cause of their disaperence is because of dutch alterations in their underground water. Any chemical dumped into their habitat is especially dangerous to the salamander because their without lungs, therefore they "breathe" through their skin and to do so they must be moist. The Endangered act of 1973 was created to prohibit people and businesses of the United States of taking, saleing, and possessing endangered species. This species is endangered because the population is decreasing over time rather than being hunted as a result of the food chain. The Salamanders habitat is altered and affecting the lives of the population. However, the Endangered act of 1973 is trying its best to preserve to population of this creature.

Conservation Efforts
As said before the Endangered act of 1973 is set to protect the population of the Desert Slender Slamander. The salamander is also listed in the 1986 IUNC red list of threatened animales which list all endangered and close to extinction wildlife. Another effort to protect the Salamander is the California Enviromental Quality Control Act(CEQA) which recognizes federal listed threaten and endangered species. This animale is close to extintion but with the help of these conservation efforts they will remain apart wildlife.

Work Cited

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@http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/b.m.aridus.html @http://www.tenan.vuurwerk.nl/reports/firstavenue/desertslender.htm @http://library.thinkquest.org/19689/data/amphibians/slender_salamander_frame.html @http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Batrachoseps&where-species=aridus