California Tiger Salamander

California tiger salamanders are relatively big, broad salamanders. Females reach almost 7 inches, while males are often a little larger and can get as long as 8 inches. Their big, flat heads are rounded and marked with a wide mouth and dark eyes that project out of the top. Tiger salamanders are dark black and marked with yellow-white spots. These markings vary between types of tiger salamander. California tiger salamanders have small spots.

Salamander body shapes change as they age. They go through an aquatic larval stage after hatching from their eggs. During this stage, they are yellowish-gray, with a broad dorsal fin extending down the length of the back. Their large heads have feathery gills protruding from either side. When they hatch, they are only half an inch long. As they develop, they grow in their legs, starting with their front legs and ending with their hind legs. Finally, when they have all their limbs and are ready to emerge from the water, they lose their gills. Their full adult stage consists of a streamlined body shape with a slight dorsal ridge running down the length of their bodies. Unlike some other species of salamander, tiger salamanders have lungs that they use to breathe out of the water.

Salamanders generally have very smooth, slick, mucous-y skin. This mucous is produced by glands under the skin. Their semi-permeable skin allows for mucous, moisture, and oxygen to easily pass through. This is critical for their survival as they will die if they get too hot or dry.

The California tiger salamander is endemic to the California San Joaquin-Sacramento River valleys— meaning this is the only place in the world that they are found. They are dependent on wet environments to reproduce, usually in the form of vernal, ephemeral, or rain-filled pools and sagponds. As more of their territory has been destroyed, salamanders have begun to turn to pools intended for cattle on agricultural land. Aquatic habitats that are present year-round are avoided because of the presence of fish predators.

Notably, tiger salamanders belong to the Ambystomatidae family, also known as the mole salamander family. These salamanders spend almost their whole lives underground and are usually only seen during breeding. When not breeding, adult tiger salamanders live in moist underground burrows within 1 mile of their breeding sites. They often seek shelter in the burrows constructed by other animals, like ground squirrels or pocket gophers, rather than digging their own. The habitats they can be found in include grassland, wetland, and rural.

Salamanders are all carnivores. When in their larval stage, California tiger salamanders eat zooplankton, crustaceans, and insect larvae. As they get bigger, they start going after larger prey like tadpoles, aquatic insects, and other aquatic invertebrates. Under certain conditions, they may even go after other California tiger salamander larvae. As adults, these salamanders prey on invertebrates they encounter underground such as worms, beetles, ants, and cockroaches.

California tiger salamanders are fossorial animals that do not construct their own burrows. They are capable of burying themselves in the dirt, but rely on other animals to build complex tunnels. When they do come out of the ground in search of food, it is usually at night. Salamanders undergo aestivation, a period of inactivity that occurs during the hot and dry seasons. They are not known for being particularly social but can cohabitate with others of their species. During breeding, large numbers of salamanders can congregate in their breeding pools.

Tiger salamanders reach sexual maturity at 6 years old; this is the age at which they begin to migrate to the breeding pools every winter. Starting as early as November, the salamanders begin their trip. Males will usually be in the breeding pools by December, while females arrive a little later in January. The females leave shortly after depositing their eggs, while the males keep an extended stay. Males are the first to arrive, but also the last to leave as the females leave shortly after depositing their eggs. Breeding is highly dependent on rainfall since their wintering breeding pools are formed by the rain. In years where rainfall occurs late, females will not travel to the pools at all.

Males deposit spermatophores on the bottom of the pond, which females pick up and use to fertilize themselves. Females lay soft gelatinous eggs in clumps of 1-4 that are attached to twigs, grass, or plant stems. They will lay about 12 eggs in total. These eggs hatch after 10-14 days. After hatching, the larvae stay in the pond for 3-6 months depending on how long the pool stays full of water. The longer the larvae stay in the pool, the larger they become.