Amphibians · Caudata · Ambystomatidae

Eastern Tiger Salamander

Ambystoma tigrinum

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is one of the few amphibians capable of neoteny: in certain populations the adults keep their aquatic gilled larval form indefinitely, reaching sexual maturity without ever completing the metamorphosis onto land.

Weight

9 g on average

Size

17 cm – 33 cm

Lifespan

13 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestFreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Temperate forest Freshwater

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Fun facts

comportamientoIt can spend most of its adult life underground in burrows, coming out mainly during heavy rain to breed in temporary pools.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Woodland, grassland and semi-arid country of North America, always near fish-free temporary pools for breeding
Birth weight: Tiny on hatching as an aquatic larva with external gills
Size at birth: An aquatic larva with large external gills on hatching
Sexual maturity: 2-7 years (some sources give a more specific average of 4 years)
Gestation / incubation: 19-50 days of egg development before hatching; metamorphosis complete at 2.5-5 months
Litter / clutch size: 10 to 1,000 eggs per clutch (varying widely by source and locality)

Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; AnAge; Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries; Virginia Herpetological Society; SeaWorld/Busch Gardens; The Animal Facts; Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife; Animalia.bio; BioKIDS