SCIENTIFIC NAME : Ambystoma tigrinum WEIGHT : Up to 450 pounds LENGTH : 6 - 8 inches. POPULATION : Stable PLACES : Atlantic coast, Florida. HABITATS : Lower Great Plains,Wetlands. | Tiger salamanders are approximately six to eight inches (15 to 20 centimeters) long. These amphibians have dark gray, brown, or black bodies with brownish-yellow markings. In some subspecies, the yellow markings are large spots or stripes, while other subspecies have small yellow, irregularly shaped spots. For example, the barred tiger salamander of the lower Great Plains has large, elongated spots. The eastern tiger salamander has small spots. Some individuals might have no spots at all.These salamanders are efficient predators in their habitat. Larvae feed on small crustaceans and insect larvae. Worms, snails, slugs, and insects make up most of the adult tiger salamander’s diet.Tiger salamanders migrate to breeding ponds in late winter or early spring. One to two days after courtship, a female lays up to a hundred eggs, which hatch about four weeks later. Larvae stay in the pond until they become adults, usually within two and a half to five months. Tiger salamanders can live for 14 years or more. |
