Variations
2 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Tiger salamander
Predatory and cannibalistic; keep alone.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Tiger salamander should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Tiger salamander should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Tiger salamander should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Care and water
Behavior
Predatory and cannibalistic; keep alone.
Check your local laws. US federal: genus Ambystoma has been listed as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since January 2025, so importing tiger salamanders into the US, or shipping them between the continental US, DC, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories, needs a permit; moving them between the 49 continental states is not banned by this rule. State rules vary; Missouri, for example, ended the sale of larval tiger salamanders as fish bait over disease concerns and lists the species as of conservation concern. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Good to know: Adults are terrestrial and need a land area.
Food
Earthworms, crickets and small fish.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-clumps · Hard
Adults move to fishless ponds during autumn rains; courtship and egg-laying take place in the water in winter to early spring (in Missouri February-April, peaking in March). Larvae are aquatic with gills and transform to land-dwelling subadults in summer.
Pair.
Large aquaterrarium.
Cool winter.
Up to about 1,000 eggs per female, laid in small clumps of 23-110; they hatch in several weeks, up to 40-50 days in cold water.
Larvae are cannibalistic; feed daphnia.
- Heat
- Cannibalism
- Dry land
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the tiger salamander
A large, black-and-yellow mole salamander of eastern and central North America. Adults live on land in burrows and come to fishless ponds to breed; the gilled larvae live in water and turn into land-dwelling young in summer.
American naturalist Jacob Green described the tiger salamander in 1825. It is one of the largest land-dwelling salamanders in North America. Its larvae can grow into gilled adults in some ponds.
First described by Jacob Green in 1825.
- It can grow to about 30 cm long.
- It spends most of its life in burrows.
- Some larvae become gilled adults in water.
Sources
9 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Amphibian (mole salamander), not a fish. Name valid for the Eastern tiger salamander. The western Barred tiger salamander (A. mavortium) and Mexican A. velasci were split off; older care literature and the bait/pet trade often use "tiger salamander" (and "waterdog") for A. mavortium, so animals sold under this name, including the albino form, may not be A. tigrinum in the strict sense.
Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Ambystoma tigrinum - Familycorrected
New value (legacy had none).
Missouri Department of Conservation: Eastern Tiger Salamander (government) - Size
Total length including tail: typical adults 18-21 cm, occasionally to 33 cm. Legacy 20 cm is a typical adult.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Eastern Tiger Salamander (government) - Lifespan
Wild 10+ years; captive animals have lived past 20 years. Legacy 15-20 fits; the upper figure can be exceeded.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Eastern Tiger Salamander (government) - Where it livescorrected
New value. Range of A. tigrinum in the strict sense (after the split of A. mavortium).
Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Ambystoma tigrinum - Breedingcorrected
Legacy said "breeds in cool ponds after a winter rest"; the source says breeding happens in winter/early spring after an autumn migration, in fishless ponds.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Eastern Tiger Salamander (government) - Eggs and young
Legacy 200-1000 agrees with the upper figure; lower bound not given by the source.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Eastern Tiger Salamander (government) - Story
Legacy "large terrestrial salamander that spends the larval stage in water" is supported. "Rarely kept as an aquatic pet beyond the larval form" was not checked. The legacy alias "waterdog tiger" is a misuse per MDC.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Eastern Tiger Salamander (government) - traits.legalcorrected
Genus Ambystoma was NOT in the 2016 Bsal list; it was added by the second interim rule published 10 Jan 2025 (FWS FAQ says it took effect 15 days after publication; the OLE bulletin gives 10 Jan 2025). Import into the US and shipment between the continental US, DC, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories need a permit; movement between the 49 continental states, and breeding, sale and possession, are not regulated by this rule (state law may differ). Per the OLE bulletin, certain shipments of eggs or gametes may be allowed. This also affects the axolotl (A. mexicanum) file, which predates this check. Legacy "restricted in several US states; a bait-trade species" is right in substance (Missouri example); other states were not checked one by one. Not CITES-listed as far as checked (no CITES source names it).
USFWS: Salamanders as Injurious Wildlife - What It Means for Owners and Scientists (FAQs) · USFWS Office of Law Enforcement bulletin PB 25-005 (5 Sep 2025): Ban on importation and interstate transport of 36 genera of salamanders and newts · Missouri Department of Conservation: Eastern Tiger Salamander (government)