Western Tiger Salamander

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5 - Secure
SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Western Tiger Salamander is a very large mole salamander. It is one of the largest salamanders in North America. It is common within its range but in Minnesota that range barely extends into the westernmost counties.

It has a broad head, a stout body, and a long tail. The skin is smooth and somewhat slippery. The color pattern varies significantly across the geographic range of the species, from a grayish-black background with brownish-yellow irregular blotches, to a brownish-yellow background with grayish-black irregular blotches. There are 11 to 14 vertical grooves on the side of the body. There are four toes on each front foot.

Size

Total length: 3″ to 6½″ (7.6 to 16.5 cm)

Similar Species

Almost any habitat that includes a nearby lake, pond, stream, or pool in which to breed.

Behavior

This salamander, like all salamanders, is rarely encountered. It spends the day in an rodent burrow, coming out at night to feed. It is sometimes seen in the spring or fall during or just after a heavy rain crossing a road between an upland site and a pond.

Lifespan

10 to 25 years

Life Cycle

Breeding takes place in the early spring, often before the ice has cleared from the surface of the pond. To initiate breeding, the male will nudge a female then deposit a sperm capsule on the pond bottom. The female picks up the sperm capsule. After fertilization the female lays up to 1,000 eggs, depositing them singly or in very small clusters on submerged vegetation.

The eggs hatch in 2 to 5 weeks. The larvae are usually about 5″ long. They have large external gills and a prominent tail fin (caudal fin) that extends from just behind the head on the upper side to the belly on the underside, wrapping around the tail. Larvae may metamorphose into sexually mature adults in their first or second summer, or they may become sexually mature without metamorphosis.

Adults overwinter in burrows or under logs or other debris.

Larva Food

Aquatic invertebrates, plankton, and other salamander larvae.

Adult Food

Earthworms, insects, and other invertebrates; occasionally small reptiles and amphibians; other salamanders.