Barred tiger salamander
A stout, yellow-barred salamander that spends most of the year underground and gathers in prairie ponds to breed, living around Great Sand Dunes and Badlands.
Barred tiger salamander at a glance
Ambystoma mavortium BARD TY-ger SAL-uh-man-der; Ambystoma mavortium is am-BIS-toh-muh muh-VOR-tee-um
- Type
- Amphibian · salamander
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Size
- Usually about 7 to 8 inches long, close to the length of a new pencil, though water-living ones can grow much bigger. It is one of the largest land salamanders in North America.
- Lifespan
- Around 12 to 15 years.
- Conservation
- Least concern
Eats worms, insects, snails, tadpoles
On land the adult hunts worms, bugs, and snails at night. In the water, the young larvae are hungry hunters too, eating tiny animals and even tadpoles and other salamander larvae.
Should you worry?
This salamander is harmless. It has no venom and will not bite in a way that hurts. Its skin is thin and delicate, though, so it is easy to harm by handling. Look, do not grab, and never carry one from one pond to another, because moving them can spread animal diseases from water to water. If you see one after rain, let it go on its way.
For most of the year the barred tiger salamander is somewhere you cannot see it: underground, often down a burrow that some other animal dug, waiting out the dry and the cold. It is a stout salamander, usually seven or eight inches long, close to a new pencil, dark-bodied with yellow bars and blotches down its back, and it is one of the largest land salamanders in North America. It hunts at night, above ground, for worms, insects, and snails, so the times a person actually meets one are few.
The best chance comes with rain. After a spring storm fills the prairie ponds near Great Sand Dunes or across the Badlands, the adults travel back to the water to breed, sometimes crossing open ground at night in surprising numbers. In the pond the young hatch as larvae with feathery gills, and they are hungry hunters in their own right, taking tiny water animals and even tadpoles and other salamander larvae. Some never leave that stage at all: they keep their gills, stay in the water for life as big “water dogs,” and breed without ever crawling onto land.
The salamander is harmless, with no venom and no bite worth worrying about, but its thin skin is delicate and easy to damage by handling. The firmest rule is one most people would never guess: never carry a salamander from one pond to another. Moving them can spread animal diseases from water to water. So if you find one out after rain, look closely, leave it where it is, and let it go on its way.
Did you know?
- A barred tiger salamander spends most of its life hidden underground, often in burrows other animals dug, and comes out mainly on rainy nights, so people rarely see one.
- Some of these salamanders never fully grow up. They keep their feathery gills and stay in the water their whole lives as big "water dogs," breeding without ever crawling onto land.
- After a spring rain fills the prairie ponds, adults travel back to the water to breed, sometimes crossing open ground at night in surprising numbers.
Common questions
Are tiger salamanders dangerous?
No, they are harmless. They have no venom and cannot really hurt you. Their skin is delicate, so it is best to look and not touch.
Why don't I ever see them?
They spend most of the year hidden underground and come out mainly on rainy nights. The best chance to see one is near a pond in spring.
What is a "water dog"?
It is a tiger salamander that never fully grows up and stays in the water for life, keeping its feathery gills. It can even have babies while still living underwater.
What do they eat?
Adults eat worms, insects, and snails on land. The young in the water eat tiny animals, tadpoles, and other salamander larvae.