Details
Ambystoma tigrinum
The tiger salamander is a sturdy Nearctic salamander of grasslands and freshwater habitats. It is a solitary nocturnal carnivore.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occurs around grasslands, wetlands, and ponds. Adults use burrows and cover on land, then gather at freshwater sites to breed.
Length is about 15-35 cm and weight about 50-250 g. Yellow spots or bars mark a dark brown to black body with a broad head.
It is nocturnal and solitary. To avoid drying, it shelters underground or under litter and emerges on damp nights.
It is carnivorous, eating insects, worms, and small amphibians. It captures moving prey on land and near shallow water.
Adults move to ponds after rains or during breeding conditions. Eggs hatch into aquatic larvae that grow in the pond.
Its conservation status is LC. Landscapes need both terrestrial refuges and breeding ponds to support it.
