California Tiger Salamander

Ambystoma californiense

The California Tiger Salamander is a special amphibian with a black body and bright yellow or white spots. They live underground most of the year and come out during the rainy season to breed in ponds.

Habitat: Grasslands and wetlands

Appearance

The California Tiger Salamander has a stout body with striking black or dark brown skin patterned with irregular yellow or cream-colored spots and bars. It has a broad head and prominent eyes, making it distinct from plain-bodied salamanders.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAmphibiaOrderCaudataFamilyAmbystomatidaeGenusAmbystoma

California Tiger Salamander

Interesting facts

Adults emerge only during rainy nights to find mates.

Some journey for miles to return to their birth pond!

Their babies have feathery gills and breathe underwater!

They can live most of their lives hidden deep underground!

Special abilities

California Tiger Salamander can spend most of its life underground because of its strong body that helps them dig or use existing burrows.

California Tiger Salamander larvae have feathery gills that help them breathe underwater, like tiny fish, until they grow lungs.

California Tiger Salamander has special skin secretions that make them taste bad, helping them avoid becoming a predator's meal.

Measurements & details

Length: 17.5-20.5 cm
Weight: 0.05-0.1 kg
Lifespan: 8-15 years
Top Speed: 0.8 km/h
Clutch Size: 100-1300
Metamorphosis: 90-120 days

Diet & Feeding

These salamanders are active hunters, feasting on small creepy-crawlies they can find.

Age differences: Larvae eat aquatic invertebrates like zooplankton and insect larvae; adults eat terrestrial invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Primary Foods

Earthworms
Insects
Slugs
Snails
Mice

Foraging Method

Ambush

Ecological connections

eats

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

Preys on adult salamanders.

eats

Mosquitofish

Gambusia affinis

Feeds on salamander larvae.

eats

Raccoon

Procyon lotor

Digs up and eats adults.

eaten by

Common Earthworm

Lumbricus terrestris

A favorite adult salamander meal.

Traits

Spotted

Marked with spots or patches of a different color.

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

Burrowing

Burrowing animals dig tunnels and chambers in the ground, using these subterranean structures for shelter, hunting, or breeding.

Grassland

Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.