Ensatina
EnsatinaEnsatinaEnsatinaEnsatina

Ensatina

Ensatina eschscholtzii

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
10–20% · With luck
overall probability at Olympic National Park
75 Verified records at Olympic National Park
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's active Active throughout day and night

The ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii) is a species complex of plethodontid (lungless) salamanders found in coniferous forests, oak woodland and chaparral from British Columbia, through Washington, Oregon, across California (where all seven subspecies variations are located), all the way down to Baja California in Mexico. The genus Ensatina originated approximately 21.5 million years ago. It is usually considered as monospecific, being represented by a single species, Ensatina eschscholtzii, with several subspecies forming a ring species. Wikipedia →

10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Ensatina sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 75 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Olympic National Park

Western Red-backed Salamander
LC

Western Red-backed Salamander

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Plethodon vehiculum

10–20% · With luck
Wandering Salamander
LC

Wandering Salamander

☀️🌙 Day & Night Amphibian

Aneides vagrans

<5% · Rare
Van Dyke's Salamander
LC Endemic

Van Dyke's Salamander

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Plethodon vandykei

<5% · Rare
Rough-skinned Newt
LC

Rough-skinned Newt

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Taricha granulosa

20–30% · Possible
Olympic Salamander
NT Endemic

Olympic Salamander

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Rhyacotriton olympicus

5–10% · With luck
Northwestern Salamander
LC

Northwestern Salamander

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Ambystoma gracile

5–10% · With luck
Cope's Giant Salamander
LC Endemic

Cope's Giant Salamander

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Dicamptodon copei

5–10% · With luck
Long-toed Salamander
LC Endemic

Long-toed Salamander

☀️ Diurnal Amphibian

Ambystoma macrodactylum

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
5–10
Feb
10–20
Mar
10–20
Apr
10–20
May
5–10
Jun
5–10
Jul
<5
Aug
5–10
Sep
10–20
Oct
10–20
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️🌙 When They're Spotted

Active throughout day and night · across all parks (global)

☀️🌙Day & Night
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
60–70%
2 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
3 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
4 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
5 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
6 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Ensatina in Olympic National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ensatina sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 75 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Ensatina in Olympic National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Ensatina in Olympic National Park in our monthly data.

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