The barred tiger salamander or western tiger salamander (''Ambystoma mavortium'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

mole salamander The mole salamanders (genus ''Ambystoma'') are a group of Salamandroidea, advanced salamanders endemic to North America. The group has become famous due to the study of the axolotl (''A. mexicanum'') in research on neoteny, paedomorphosis, and t ...

that lives in lower

western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

, the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

and

northern Mexico Northern Mexico ( ), commonly referred as , is an informal term for the northern cultural and geographical area in Mexico. Depending on the source, it contains some or all of the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua (state), ...

Description

The barred tiger salamander typically grows from , but neotenic forms can grow to lengths of ,Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles & Amphibians, Fourth Edition
/ref> and is one of the largest species of salamander in North America. It has a broad head and a sturdy body. The color is variable across its range. The dorsal surface is grey, dark brown or black with bars and spots of muddy yellow giving it a tiger-like coloring. The ventral surface varies from light to dark. Larvae have alternating dark and light blotches on the centre of the dorsal surface and pale stripes running along the sides. Kansaspedia states that the tiger salamander has been known to live in captivity for more than 20 years.

Behavior

Primarily

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

, barred tiger salamanders are opportunistic feeders, and will often eat anything they can catch, including various insects, slugs, and earthworms. They are primarily terrestrial as adults, but their juvenile,

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

l stage is entirely aquatic, having external

gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

s. Breeding takes place during most months of the year. The eggs are laid in water and the developing larvae are exclusively aquatic.

Cannibalism

There are two main feeding morphologies for barred tiger salamanders, typical and cannibalistic. The cannibalistic form is characterized by large vomerine teeth, slim bodies and wider heads. The teeth give a better hold on prey, and the wider heads allow for eating larger organisms. In some areas, these include

fathead minnow Fathead minnow (''Pimephales promelas''), also known as fathead or tuffy, is a species of freshwater Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. The natural geographic ra ...

s. Since the two species have similar diets, eating a competitor also reduces demand on their shared food. Cannibalistic tiger salamanders tend to metamorphosize earlier than the typical ones. Most often, cannibals are found in drier areas and shallow, more competitive waters, making earlier metamorphosis advantageous.

Subspecies

The five recognized

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of ''Ambystoma mavortium'' are: * Gray barred tiger salamander, ''A. m. diaboli'' ) * Barred tiger salamander, ''A. m. mavortium'' () * Blotched tiger salamander, ''A. m. melanostictum'' () * Arizona tiger salamander, ''A. m. nebulosum'' () * Sonoran tiger salamander, ''A. m. stebbinsi'' () Grey barred tiger salamander Manitoba

Distribution and habitat

The barred tiger salamander lives in western

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the western half of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, but infrequently in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. In Canada, it can be found in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

and

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. Its range in the United States extends to the southernmost tip of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, but no further east than the Dakotas and

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. It has been introduced into southern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

because its larvae are used as fish bait. It is a mainly terrestrial species, living in lowland deciduous forests, coniferous forests and woodlands. It also inhabits open fields, rough ground, upland meadows, grasslands, deserts, semideserts and streams.

Status

The Sonoran tiger salamander was classified as an endangered species in 1997, due to increased human activity causing degradation and fragmentation of its habitat. It is also threatened by various disease outbreaks triggered by species not native to Arizona. Some introduced animals, such as crayfish, prey on it.

In captivity

Tiger salamanders are frequently kept in captivity; they mostly hide and ambush their prey. It is illegal to sell adults in most parts of the United States. Their large size allows for ease of feeding, and their hardy nature makes them excellent captives. Their larval stage is often sold as

fishing bait Fishing bait is any bait (luring substance), luring substance used specifically to attract and fishing, catch fish, typically when angling with a fish hook, hook and fishing line, line. There are generally two types of baits used in angling: '' ...

, marketed as "mud puppies" or "water dogs".

Symbol

The tiger salamander is the state amphibian of

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. The second grade class of 1993 of O‑K Elementary in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

, petitioned the governor; students Timothy Boyd and Kristofer Voorhees presented the initial idea for a state amphibian to their teacher. It is also the state amphibian of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

after being recognized by the Colorado legislature on March 16, 2012.

References

Unused sources

* *

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2615538 Mole salamanders Amphibians described in 1850 Amphibians of Canada Amphibians of Mexico Amphibians of the United States Fauna of the Western United States Symbols of Colorado Symbols of Kansas Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird