Answer 1:
Scientists discovered the Santa Cruz long-toed
salamander in 1954, in, as you might guess, Santa
Cruz, California. They believe that this
salamander never had a big range, probably only
Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. The salamander
is actually a subspecies of a larger species
group. There are a number of other subspecies that
the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander is very
similar to. This means that possibly, a long time
ago, the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander was
exactly like members of the larger species group.
Salamanders in the Santa Cruz area became
isolated, and started to evolve independently of
the other salamanders. Eventually they evolved
into a separate subspecies. Over time, they may
evolve to where they are so different from the
other subspecies, they can be considered a
separate species, not just a subspecies.
Because the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander in
endangered, you can find information, including
information on its range, from the US Department
of Fish and Wildlife website at:
Sslamander |
