Western tiger salamander
The barred tiger salamander or western tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium ) is a species of mole salamander found from southwestern Canada in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, south through the western United States to Texas and northern Mexico.
The tiger salamander is the state amphibian of Kansas. The second grade class of 1993 of O‑K Elementary in Wichita, Kansas, petitioned the governor; students Timothy Boyd and Kristofer Voorhees presented the initial idea for a state amphibian to their teacher. It is also the state amphibian of Colorado after being recognized by the Colorado legislature on March 16, 2012.
The barred tiger salamander typically grows from 15 to 22 cm (5.9 to 8.7 in) but it can grow to 30.5 cm (12.0 in) long at the most and is one of the largest species of salamander in North America. It has a broad head and a sturdy body. The color is variable across its range. The dorsal surface is grey, dark brown or black with bars and spots of muddy yellow giving it a tiger-like coloring. The ventral surface varies from light to dark. Larvae have alternating dark and light blotches on the centre of the dorsal surface and pale stripes running along the sides.
The barred tiger salamander is found in western Canada and the western half of the United States, but infrequently in California and Nevada. In Canada it is known from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Its range in the United States extends to the southernmost tip of Texas, but no further east than the Dakotas and Oklahoma. It has been introduced into southern Arizona because its larvae are used as fish bait.
It is a mainly terrestrial species and is found in lowland deciduous forests, coniferous forests and woodlands. It also inhabits open fields and rough ground, upland meadows, grasslands, semi-deserts and deserts and is occasionally found in streams.
Primarily nocturnal, barred tiger salamanders are opportunistic feeders, and will often eat anything they can catch, including various insects, slugs, and earthworms. They are primarily terrestrial as adults, but their juvenile, larval stage is entirely aquatic, having external gills. Breeding takes place during most months of the year. The eggs are laid in water and the developing larvae are exclusively aquatic.
The barred tiger salamander is believed to have suffered some declines in population over several decades. These are likely to have been caused by deforestation and habitat loss. The introduction of non-native predatory fish may be an important cause of declines but this has not been investigated fully.
The Sonoran tiger salamander was classified as an endangered species in 1997, due to the recent increase in human activities causing degradation and fragmentation to their habitat. The species is also threatened by various disease outbreaks carried by species not native to Arizona. The introduction of other species beginning to appear in their habitat can also be predators, such as the crayfish.
