• borael forest, aspen parkland, short-grass paririe; up to elevations of 2,800 m; southern half of the province; isolated population near Grand Prairie.

Brief Description

• larger than long-toed salamander; toes relatively short; great deal of color variation

Habitat

• moist areas and near water; fossorial; often use pocket gopher burrows; overwintering underground as adult form and in water as larval or neotenic form.

Feeding

• predatory; feeding mostly on invertebrates; also tadpoles and small fish.

Reproduction

• spawning in spring in temporary ponds or waterbodies without large fish; no amplexus; fertilization via spermatophore; neotenic forms may be seen in permanent prairie ponds.

Status in Alberta

• GREEN LIST

Other Internet Resources

• tiger salamander: Amphibians of Alberta Page, Alberta Environmental Protection

• tiger salamander: Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, BC, Canada

• Ambystoma tigrinum : The Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

• Abystoma tigrinum : Endangered Species in Endangered Spaces, Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, BC, Canada

• Ambystoma tigrinum : Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota, Northern Prairie Science Center, Jamestown, ND, USA

• Ambystoma tigrinum : San Diego Herpetological Society, San Diego, CA, USA

• Barred Tiger Salamander: Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, Kansas, USA

• Barred Tiger Salamander: Texas Parks & Wildlife, Austin, TX, USA

References

• Anonymous. 1996. The status of Alberta wildlife. Wildlife Management Division Report. Alberta Environmental Protection, Govertment of Alberta.

• Russell, A. P., and A. M. Bauer. in press. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Alberta: A Field Guide and Primer of Boreal Herpetology. University of Calgary Press. 2nd Edition.