Hobbies And Interests
Physical Traits
Most male tiger salamanders grow up to 8 inches from the nose to the tip of the tail, but some species can reach up to 12 inches. Females are usually an inch shorter than the males. Weighing approximately 1/4 lb., tiger salamanders have smooth slick skin instead of scales. Base coloring varies from yellow and olive to brown and gray. All tiger salamanders have black patterns on their backs, including bars, stripes, spots and blotches.
Habitats
Tiger salamander ranges vary with the subspecies, but overall they cover the entire United States and into Canada and Mexico. They live near water or in damp areas, including woodlands and prairies. Biologists also refer to tiger salamanders as mole salamanders because they spend most of the year in the damp soil of burrows. They return to the water to mate, and the larval pups remain in the water until they reach adulthood. Tiger salamanders hunt insects, worms and other small animals at night.
Life Cycle
For one clutch, female tiger salamanders lay 25 to 50 eggs near the water. After 2 to 3 weeks, the nearly clear pups leave the eggs and use their external gills to hunt the water for insects and larvae. After 2 to 5 months, the pups metamorphose into adults who eventually gain full lungs. In dry areas, however, the pups may mature and metamorphose without losing their gills. These tiger salamanders remain in the water their entire lives. Tiger salamanders reach sexual maturity in 4 to 5 years.
Species
Tiger salamanders contain a variety of subspecies, which only differ in physical traits and habitats, although some of them look similar. The Eastern tiger salamander has blotches and ranges from Florida to New York and west to Texas. The barred salamander bears yellow and black stripes, reminiscent of a tiger. Gray tiger salamanders live in the north of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and South Dakota, while Sonoran tiger salamanders only live in the mountains of southeast Arizona.