Please help me identify

[travis]

A friend of mine's son happened to go on a field trip in the mountains and brought these little guys back in his lunchbox! Kids are crazy!! Any idea what they are? It must be my allergies but i have looked through the pictures of different species and cannot find it. Please lend me your knowledge. Thanks so much!!

 

[ryan]

Nice find.
Maybe a Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis X oregonensis

 

[russ]

Ensatina for sure, probably platensis based on the spotting starting to form on the tail. What mountains were they in??

 

[travis]

I live just east of Sacramento, so i'm pretty sure they went a little further east into the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the field trip. I think you're both correct on the species then. Thanks a lot guys!!

 

[dane]

in a lunch box, boy that sounds like something I would have done when i was younger...

 

[travis]

You and me both! Then again, when i was a kid i was bringing every animal i found home. The lunchbox would have been a perfect transport back then.

I'm really curious about this species now. I think i may have to talk to the kids teacher to see where they went and observe the habitat and potential numbers in that area... hopefully i can find them as he did!