Due to cool and foggy conditions on the islands where it lives, it is one of the only slender salamanders in California that can be active year-round.

The throat and underside of the tail are pale, while the abdomen appears whitish or slate with light and dark speckling.

Alternatively, it can rapidly uncoil and bounce away while detaching its tail to divert the attention of predators.

[3] Using burrows created by other animals or man-made crevices, eggs are laid underground by the female during late fall to winter, once they move down from the surface.

[3] The Channel Islands slender salamander likely eats an assortment of small invertebrates, such as earthworms, small slugs, terrestrial arthropods, and numerous insects, including insect larvae.