Tiger Salamander
The tiger salamander is the world's largest land-dwelling
salamander, reaching lengths from six inches to over a foot!
Tiger salamanders range throughout much of North America,
with the Eastern tiger salamander found along the East Coast
from Long Island, New York, to northern Florida and inland
from Ohio to Minnesota. They have even been spotted in
eastern Texas!
The tiger salamander is part of the "mole salamander" family, so named because they spend much of their life underground. Although known to live up to 20 years, the average life span is between 8 and 10 years. These salamanders are usually found around water, and live in crevices, under decayed logs, under leaf litter, or in abandoned animal holes. Their diet includes grasshoppers, moths, flies, spiders, beetles, fish, earthworms, mollusks, and the occasional small mouse.
Males generally have longer tails than females. Their only defense against predators is a milky toxin secreted from glands on the back and tail. The colors and patterns of this salamander can change throughout its life. The young are spotted, and as they age, the spots turn into irregular blotches or bars (like a tiger). They can be dark brown, yellow, green or gold. They have a large broad head, and eyes that are set far apart.
During the first warm nighttime rain in early March to April (after the water warms and the ground thaws), tiger salamanders breed. When they are ready, they travel in groups to the nearest body of water and lay between 30 to 50 eggs in loose masses on the bottom, attaching the egg mass to plants or stationary objects. Eggs metamorphose in two to four weeks. Larvae eat aquatic insects and invertebrates; some even become cannibalistic. Cannibalistic larvae metamorphose faster, and have larger heads. External gills on the tiger salamander larvae distinguish it from the similar-looking frog tadpole.
The tiger salamander has decreased in population in the past 10 years. They are now endangered because of destruction of their habitats from pesticide use, development, soil compaction, and degradation of water quality. Also, birds and predatory fish have been known to prey on salamander eggs and larvae.
EcoTarium is home to one tiger salamander that lives in the bog of the Freshwater exhibit on the first level of the museum. On your next visit, take some time to look for the tiger salamander and the spotted salamander that also lives in the bog. Be sure to look carefully. These animals spend most of their days underground or under logs to keep their soft bodies moist.
Written by Naturalist Lindsay Parker