Red dots indicate some of the areas
where Tiger Salamanders have been found in California.
Dot-locality Range Map
(showing what could be a native
population of this subspecies)
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Blotched adult, 11.5 inches long, Grass Lake, Siskiyou County © Alan Barron |
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Adult with remnant gills, Grass Lake, Siskiyou County © Alan Barron |
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Variously patterned adults, Grass Lake, Siskiyou County © Alan Barron |
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Large larvae, in silty water, 7,000 ft. Wyoming
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Large larvae, removed from water temporarily to show color. |
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Habitat, Grass Lake, 5,000 ft.
Siskiyou County
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CalTrans sign, Siskiyou County
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Habitat, Grass Lake, 5,000 ft.
Siskiyou County
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Description |
| Size |
The second largest terrestrial salamander in North America, after the Giant Salamanders, Dicamptodon species.
Adults measure 3 - 6.5 inches long (7.6 - 16.5 cm) from snout to vent. |
| Appearance |
A large thick-bodied lunged salamander with small protuberant eyes, and a wide, round snout. Tubercles are present on the underside of the feet. The body is mottled with irregular black and yellowish blotches and bars.
Four morphs of adults are known: typical metamorphosed adults, cannibalistic metamorphosed adults, typical gilled adults, and cannibalistic gilled adults. |
| Behavior |
| Adults spend most of their time burrowing underground, emerging mainly on rainy nights to migrate to breeding ponds. Larvae may overwinter, transforming the following year, or even later. Large neotenic adults are sometimes found. |
| Diet |
| Probably eats anything it can overcome that is small enough to eat, mainly invertebrates such as insects, worms, and snails. In captivity has been known to eat small vertebrates such as mice, lizards, salamanders, frogs, and snakes. |
| Reproduction |
| Adults migrate to breeding ponds typically at the onset of the season's first heavy rain. (In California, this would typically be in November at lower elevations, and possibly during spring at higher elevations. Mating and egg-laying takes place in the ponds. Adults remain in the water for a short period - possibly up to a month. Fertilization is external with a male passing a spermatophore to a female. Females attach eggs to underwater vegetation and other structures which can support them singly or in small clusters. Eggs incubate for anywhere from a week to 3 weeks depending on location and pond conditions. |
| Range |
| Introduced into isolated locales in California, but the Grass Lake population may be a natural one. The Grass Lake population breeding migration apparently occurs during heavy fall rains when they fall before the first freeze. The species is very wide-ranging, from the east coast to Washington state, east of the Cascades mountains, north into Canada, and far south into Mexico. This subspecies naturally occurs in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, the Dakotas, and barely into Oregon, Nebraska, Colorado and Utah, and north into British Columbia. |
| Habitat |
| Throughout its natural range, inhabits ponds, lakes, reservoirs, cattle ponds, temporary pools, and streams in deserts, sagebrush, grassland, meadows, and forests. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| Some researchers have abandoned the recognition of subspecies of Ambystoma tigrinum due to information on genetic variations in the species which may not support the traditionally-recognized subspecies. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
Introduced into isolated locales in California, most likely through the introduction of released larvae used as fishing bait and expanding irrigation in arid areas. Selling Tiger Salamander larvae for fish bait is now illegal in California.
Ambystoma tigrinum hybridizes with the California Tiger Salamander, which is another threat to that species already threatened by habitat loss, and introduced predators in some areas. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Ambystomatidae |
Mole Salamanders |
| Genus |
Ambystoma |
Mole Salamanders |
| Species |
tigrinum |
Barred Tiger Salamander |
Subspecies
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melanostictum |
Blotched Tiger Salamander |
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Original Description |
Baird, 1860 - in Cooper, Rep. Expl. Surv. R.R. Route Mississippi-Pacific Ocean, 36th Cong. 1st Sess., House Ex. Doc. 56, Vol. 12, p. 306
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Ambystoma: anabystoma - to cram into the mouth. Possibly derived from Amblystoma: Greek - blunt mouth.
tigrinum: Latin - tiger, referring to the coloration of some individuals.
melanostictum: Greek - black spotted, referring to light spotting on dark dorsum.
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Ambystoma tigrinum melanostictum
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Related or Similar California Salamanders |
California Tiger Salamander
Arizona Tiger Salamander
Barred Tiger Salamander
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943.
Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998.
Corkran, Charlotte & Chris Thoms. Amphibians of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, 1996.
Jones, Lawrence L. C. , William P. Leonard, Deanna H. Olson, editors. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society, 2005.
Leonard et. al. Amphibians of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society, 1993.
Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
This salamander is not included on the Special Animals List, meaning there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California according to the California Department of Fish and Game.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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Red dots indicate some of the areas 
