Tiger Salamander

A tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) is the largest terrestrial salamander in North America. They are known for their striking yellow and black patterns and their secretive, burrowing lifestyle.

The tiger salamander has a stout, heavy body with a broad head and a long tail. Their skin is typically black or dark brown with irregular yellow or yellowish-green splotches and stripes, giving them their name. Adults can reach lengths of up to 14 inches. They have well-developed limbs and a prominent rib-like groove along their sides.

Tiger salamanders are found throughout most of North America, from southern Canada to Mexico. They live in a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and even arid regions, but they are always near a water source for breeding. As burrowing animals, they spend most of their lives underground, using tunnels created by rodents or digging their own.

They are carnivores that hunt at night. Their diet includes insects, earthworms, snails, spiders, and even small rodents or other amphibians.

The life cycle of the tiger salamander includes both aquatic and terrestrial phases. They breed in temporary ponds and lakes in early spring. The larvae are fully aquatic and have feathery external gills. They can remain in this larval stage for an extended period, especially in dry environments, and in some cases, they may never fully metamorphose into a terrestrial adult. This phenomenon is known as neoteny.