Barred Tiger Salamander
C ount yourself lucky if you have ever found one of these in the wild. Despite being known to occur all across Kansas, the Barred Tiger Salamander can be very hard to find. They spend most of summer and winter in the burrows of other animals or in some similar humid situation where they can keep their skin moist. On top of that, they only emerge at night! They are more active in spring and fall, when conditions are more to their liking. In particular, males move to the vicinity of wetlands in fall so as to be ready for the breeding season, which runs from late winter into spring. Females seek out these places during that time. Tiger Salamanders are very widespread in North America. Their range extends from the northern Great Plains to northern Mexico and from Idaho to Florida. Curiously, they are not found in the Appalachian Mountains but they are found in the Piedmont area from Florida to New Jersey. Different sub-species occur throughout this range. The sub-species found in most of Kansas is the Barred Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium). In northeastern Kansas you may find the Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum). It has about twice as many yellow spots between its front and hind legs compared to the Barred Tiger Salamander. Being amphibians, Barred Tiger Salamanders need water to lay their eggs in. However, fish will eat amphibian eggs and young. Temporary pools that only fill during wet weather do not support a fish population, so amphibians prefer these. Swamps, marshes, vernal pools, old buffalo wallows, wetlands, a roadside ditch that stands water during the spring - - - all these would look good to a female salamander trying to find a safe place to lay her eggs. The eggs hatch into a larva that looks much like the adult except for six feathery external gills that extend from either side of the neck. Normally they will transform into air-breathing adults in late summer of their first year. But, they will retain their gills into adulthood if the conditions are unfavorable outside their watery birthplace. This condition is called neoteny. By the way, these should not be called mudpuppies or waterdogs. That name properly belongs to a completely different species of salamander (Necturus maculosus), whose range lies primarily east of the Great Plains. Barred Tiger Salamanders:
If you have a pet salamander, or are considering getting one, and have questions about care of these creatures, you will probably find the information you need at one of these websites:
- This page was spun by Jim Mason -
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