Sue Tara was cleaning up her land in Gualala last week when this big guy crawled out from under her deck.

These big Salamanders - they can be more than a foot long - can actually vocalize. If disturbed they give a throaty call that sounds a lot like a dog bark. They start out life in the water and need unpolluted waterways to thrive. Logging is their other threat. What a unique and wonderfully bizarre creature we see once in a great while on the Mendonoma Coast!

Thanks to Sue for allowing me to share her photo with you here.