Wild Guide: Eastern Tiger Salamander

Eastern Tiger Salamander

Ambystoma tigrinum

Status

Species of conservation concern

Size

Length: 7–8¼ inches, but occasionally to 13 inches

Distribution

Statewide

The eastern tiger salamander is a dark, medium to large salamander with yellow or olive blotches over the head, body, and tail.

Eastern tiger salamanders live in a wide variety of habitats, including woodlands, savannas, swamps, prairies, and old fields near farm ponds. Sometimes they occur in and around croplands. Most Missourians see them in grassland habitats or in wells, basements, and root cellars. These salamanders spend most of their time in burrows or under logs and are active only at night.

Human Connections

Eastern tiger salamanders are threatened by loss and fragmentation of native prairies and savanna habitat, loss of wetlands, patchy distribution, and small population size. Habitat conservation is important for keeping this species present in Missouri. Constructing and maintaining shallow, fishless wetlands for breeding is vital to their long-term persistence. 

Life Cycle

During autumn rains, individuals migrate to fishless ponds where they will later breed. Courtship and egg-laying occur in the water between February and April, peaking in March. Females may lay up to 1,000 eggs, deposited in small clumps of 23–110. Eggs hatch within several weeks, or up to 40–50 days if water temperatures are cold. The aquatic, gilled larvae develop in summer and transform into land-dwelling subadults in late summer, June through August.