Eastern Tiger Salamander

§ Quick facts

§ Encyclopedia

The tiger salamander, or eastern tiger salamander, is a species of mole salamander and one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America.

Source: Wikipedia — Tiger salamander · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Massive stout salamander with mottled yellow-and-black or yellow-and-olive blotches; broad rounded head; thick body and tail.

Similar species. Spotted Salamander (round yellow spots, smaller). Mole Salamander (smaller). Western Tiger Salamander (now considered a separate species, with different range).

Voice. Silent.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Earthworms, insects, slugs, snails, small frogs, mice, smaller salamanders, occasional small snakes. Among the most predatory US salamanders.

Behavior. Largest fully-terrestrial salamander in the US. Spends most of life underground in mole tunnels, mammal burrows, or self-excavated chambers. Returns to vernal pools to breed each spring, often crossing roads en masse on warm rainy nights. State amphibian of Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, and Wisconsin. Eastern populations are stable; western populations have suffered from invasive sport-fish introductions to historically fishless wetlands.

§ Range

Eastern North America

§ Habitat

Damp lowland areas with sandy or loose soils

§ Threats

Habitat loss, road mortality on spring migration, fish stocking in breeding ponds.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the eastern tiger salamander is currently classified as Least Concern.

§ What helps

Don't stock fish in temporary ponds. Drive slowly on rainy spring nights. Support eastern wetland conservation.

§ Further reading

• Wikipedia — Tiger salamander
• www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Ambystoma tigrinum
• IUCN Red List · taxon 59067
• iNaturalist · taxon 27551
• GBIF occurrence records
• Encyclopedia of Life — Ambystoma tigrinum

§ Sources cited

• AmphibiaWeb
• USGS PWRC
• National Park Service
• IUCN Red List 2014