Barred Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma mavortium mavortium

Description:  The Barred Tiger Salamander has a broad head and body.  It is dark brown or black in color with a pattern of yellow bars. Juveniles are legless and breathe underwater with external gills.

Size:  Barred Tiger Salamanders usually measure 6 to 8 inches in length.

Individual animal information:  The Barred Tiger Salamander at Cosley Zoo was donated to the zoo in 2009. Its age is unknown.

Adaptations: 

• Salamanders have slimy, semi-permeable skin that secretes mucus and allows the animals to absorb moisture.
• Salamanders are able to re-grow limbs and tails that may be lost in encounters with predators.
• The color of the Barred Tiger Salamander helps it to blend in with leaf litter found on the ground.
• The Barred Tiger Salamander has poisonous glands near its tail that can produce a milky toxic substance if an animal attempts to eat the salamander.

Diet:  Barred Tiger Salamanders consume a variety of invertebrate prey, including insects, slugs, and earthworms.  At Cosley Zoo, the salamanders are fed crickets, earthworms, and a vitamin supplement.

Reproduction:  These salamanders breed in early spring after a heavy rain.  Breeding takes place in shallow bodies of water. Females lay eggs and attach them to underwater plants, where they incubate for about 3 weeks. Juveniles are completely aquatic, breathing with gills instead of lungs. They are also legless. After about a year, the young salamanders will metamorphosize (change) into terrestrial adults that have legs and breathe with lungs. 

Shelter and space needs:  Tiger Salamanders live in moist environments where their skin will not dry out and they have standing water in which to lay their eggs. Tiger Salamanders spend a large portion of their lives underground in burrows. In the winter, tiger salamanders burrow deep into the ground and go into a dormant state. 

Life expectancy:  Tiger Salamanders may live up to 15-20 years in captivity.  Their life span in the wild is uncertain.

Relationship with man:  Salamanders and other amphibians are known as “environmental indicators” because they are extremely sensitive to changes in the environment. A high mortality rate or an increase in birth defects can be a sign that an area is becoming polluted.  Salamanders are also predators of some insect pests.

Fun Facts:

• Salamander larvae can be distinguished from tadpoles (frog larvae) by the external gills that are found on the outside of their bodies.
• Tiger Salamanders do not drink. Instead, they absorb moisture through their skin while sitting in puddles or in wet mud.
• Scientists are studying how salamanders regenerate their limbs, hoping to apply that knowledge to human health care.
• The word “salamander” comes from the Greek word for “fire lizard”.  
• Salamanders often make their homes in logs.  As ancient people threw logs into a fire, the salamanders would run out to safety.  This gave rise to the idea that salamanders were born from fire.