Barred Tiger Salamander

Barred Tiger Salamander

1. Barred tiger salamanders live in prairies, forests,forest ponds, and limestone streams from SE Alaska through all of the United States to the edge of the Mexican Plateau.

2. This is a large, stocky, black salamander with yellow-white blotches or stripes on the sides. The colordarkens with age and blends in with ground and leaf litter.

3. There are several subspecies of tiger salamander, the largest recorded was 13 inches long. They usually range from 3-6 inches long and weigh only a few ounces.

4. Poisonous tail glands produce a toxic milky substance if eaten, but otherwise are not harmful to people. 

5. Most tiger salamanders develop from aquatic larvae to terrestrial adults but some larvae do not metamorphose. They retain their gills and stay in the water as adults. These forms are called paedogens, also known as “waterdogs” or “mudpuppies”.

6. If ponds dry up or contain little food, some salamander larvae will become cannibal morphs developing enlarged  mouths and large teeth and eating members of their own species! They can withstand highly alkaline (salty) water that would pickle most other animals!

7. They will curl up head and tail to display this gland as a warning. They also have specialized foot pads for burrowing.

8. Its numbers are used to indicate pollution and wetland destruction. 

9. They have semi-permeable skin (skin absorbs elements from its surroundings) and cannot tolerate salts, oils, and the heat of our hands and should therefore be handled as little as possible. 

10. Barred tiger salamanders are one of the largest terrestrial (living on land) salamanders in the United States. 

11. The word “salamander” is derived from the Greek for“fire lizard.” Old legends claim that the salamander was born from fire. 

12. Actually, since they seek out moist, protected areas, they would seek shelter in logs. When the logs were thrown into fire, the salamanders would run out, hence the name.