California Tiger Salamanders are a major species of salamander with an exceedingly interesting lifestyle. Read on to know more about these fascinating creatures.
Animalia | |
Chordata | |
Lissamphibia | |
Caudata | |
Ambystomatidae | |
Ambystoma | |
Ambystoma californiense |
Animalia | |
Chordata | |
Lissamphibia | |
Caudata | |
Ambystomatidae | |
Ambystoma | |
Ambystoma californiense |
California Tiger Salamanders are from the family of Mole Salamanders. They basically live in the Northern California. They are named after the place of their habitation.
Here is a description of how these creatures look:
These creatures are prevalent in California. The range of California Tiger Salamander is not restricted only to this state. They are differentiated from other salamander species by the name. They appear in the Sonoma County, especially in Laguna de Santa Rosa. They can also be found in the southern areas of Santa Barbara County, along Central Valley and in the Pacific Coastal Range. There are a total of six populations found in:
These creatures are inhabitants of
During the breeding seasons they move to ponds or lakes.
This species breeds in water. The breeding season usually starts in December and continues through February. The breeding age for these creatures is 4-5 years. The breeding season begins in the early winter, when the ground is sufficiently moist due to rain and temporary ponds begin to form. At the start of the breeding season the California Tiger Salamanders migrate to water. They do so only during the night (nocturnal breeding migration).
The males reach the breeding spot before the females. According to a study, the male salamanders stay at the breeding pond longer (37- 44.7 days) than the females (10- 11.8 days). Fish-free temporary ponds that dry out during the summer months are usually chosen for breeding.
The females lay the eggs and attach them to the underwater stems, leaves etc. The California Tiger Salamander eggs are of a brown or pale yellow color. They are approximately 2 mm in diameter. The eggs take 2- 4 weeks to hatch.
The larvae take 4-5 months to grow fully. Their metamorphosis occurs during the summer months.
Picture 2 – California Tiger Salamander Image
Source – fws.gov
Adult ones mainly feed on invertebrates. But they may also eat creatures like
The creature is used to feeding every 2- 3 days. The small larvae of this species feed on microscopic organisms. They eat tadpoles and some aquatic invertebrates once they are a little grown.
The lifespan of this creature is 12- 15 years.
The predators of California Tiger Salamander include American Bullfrogs, California Red-legged Frogs, Skunks, Garter snakes and Ground Squirrels.
The members of this species are protected by the California State and Federal laws.
The main population of this species is given the ‘threatened’ conservation status. Many communities have gone extinct due to the lack of suitable habitation area. Becoming the prey of non-native predators like bullfrogs is also a problem.
The California Tiger Salamander populations of Sonoma and Santa Barbara are already listed as ‘endangered’.
Recovery plans to save this species are under development. The Santa Rosa Conservation Strategy for the recovery of the California Tiger Salamander is completed. But it has not yet been put into action.
The California Tiger Salamanders are an amazing species. But they are on their way to extinction. Still, people are trying to do whatever they can to stop them from disappearing. In the past few years, these creatures have become quite a popular choice for a pet. They make good pets. Let us hope we can save these creatures from facing extinction.
Do you want to know how these creatures look like? Here are some photos of the California Tiger Salamander. Check out how wonderful their color is and how good they look.
Picture 3 – California Tiger Salamander Photo
Source – sonomacountygazette.blogspot.com
Picture 4 – California Tiger Salamander Picture
Source – pleasanton.k12.ca.us
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I used to see a lot of these in very isolated spring pools at the Lang Ranch area in Thousand Oaks in the 80’s and 90s, near where the Chumash Center is now. There are homes there now and I don’t know if they still exist there due to development.