Flare: Tiger Salamanders are large, powerful salamanders which can grow up to in length. They are one of the largest land-dwelling salamanders in the world. There are several subspecies of tiger salamanders in North America.
The basic coloration of tiger salamanders is yellow blotches, spots or bars against a black background, although patterns and intensity of color vary between the subspecies. The eyes are small and widely spaced. Light and dark patches cover the long tail and legs, and the belly may be patterned or grey. Thirteen costal grooves (vertical furrows that look like ribs) appear as folds down each side of the body. Two “tubercles” on the bottom of each hind foot help in digging burrows.
Life span: Up to 20 years in captivity.
Size: 15 to 25 centimeters.
Region: Tiger Salamanders are found throughout the U.S., south through Mexico and north into Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In B.C., they live in the Okanogan, Lower Similkameen and Boundary areas north to Summerland, west to Keremeos and east to near Christina Lake.
Life: Part of the “mole salamander” family, Tiger Salamanders spend most of their time underground. Terrestrial adults are not often seen outside the breeding season, surfacing only at night or after rains. In summer larvae can be found in shallow lakes and ponds, trying their best to escape the hungry eyes of herons, fish and owls. During winter Tiger Salamanders escape the frost inside underground rodent burrows or rotten logs, while neotenic salamanders remain near the bottom of their ponds, below the ice.
Breeding:
As well, some subspecies have a tendency to exhibit neoteny, breeding in the larval form and never undergoing metamorphosis into the adult terrestrial form, Neotenes can grow much larger than terrestrial adults (over 30 cm). Hachlings are silvery-grey with large tail fins and long, feathery gills. Unlike frog tadpoles with gills tucked inside, hatchlings wear their gills outside their bodies, attached to the sides of their heads.
Tiger Salamanders gather at breeding ponds in early spring. With a lift of his tail, the male lays down a little packet of sperm for the female to pick up with her cloaca. Up to 120 eggs are laid shortly after breeding, attached singly or in small clumps to stones, twigs and plants in shallow water. Hatchlings emerge two to three weeks later and quickly develop into four-legged larvae. Unlike tadpoles, Tiger Salamander larvae develop their front legs first. Larvae stay close to shore where t here are lots of aquatic plants and algae to hide in. After three to four months, larvae transform into juveniles with a new set of lungs and no gills. After a few days or weeks by the pond edge, juveniles set off at night during wet weather to begin their life on land. They return to the pond to breed when they are sexually mature four to five years later. Although they have been known to live for up to 20 years in captivity, Tiger Salamanders probably rarely live more than five or six years in the wild.
Care:
Tiger salamanders are strikingly beautiful salamanders that are quite popular as pets. They can be quite long lived (some estimate as much as 25 years), large, and usually become quite tame although their sensitive skin means that they should not be handled.
When there are lots of larvae but little food in the pond, some salamander larvae can become cannibal morphs. With enlarged mouths and teeth, these morphs are skilled at catching and eating their fellow larvae. Cannibals prefer eating larvae that aren’t related to them, of course - likely telling brothers and sisters apart from strangers using chemoreception (“smelling” their body chemistry).
The scientific name given to this salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum, means “blunt mouth” “like a tiger” referring both to the tiger-like stripes on its body and to the ferocious habit of eating anything that will fit in its mouth. The Tiger Salamander is a sit-and-wait predator that watches for an unlucky critter to wander by, and then gulps it up with its large mouth. Adults and juveniles make lunch of beetles, earthworms, snails and the occasional frog or baby mouse. Larvae and neotenic salamanders feed on small crustaceans, insect larvae, small fish – and the larvae of other salamanders!
Salamander hatchlings are an important food source for fish, aquatic invertebrates, dragonflies and diving beetles. Coyotes, garter snakes and Burrowing Owls also find Tiger Salamanders a satisfying meal.
