Tiger Salamanders
|
Tiger Salamander | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Missing image Tigersalamander_sm.jpg | ||||||||||||||
Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
Ambystoma tigrinum Green, 1825 | ||||||||||||||
Subspecies | ||||||||||||||
|
A Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) is a species of Mole salamander.
Tiger salamanders are large and can reach almost 9 inches in length. They are rarely seen in the open except for during breeding season and often live in burrows. Their diet consist largely of small insects and worms, though it is not rare for an adult to consume frogs and baby mice.
There are several subspecies in this group, and there is some controversy over which animals should be included in it.
The following salamanders are generally accepted as being part of the Ambystoma tigrinum group:
- Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum)
- Barred Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium)
- Arizona Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum)
- Gray Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum diaboli)
- Sonoran Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum stebbinsi)
- Blotched Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum melanostictum)
The California Tiger Salamander is now considered a separate species.