Who's hungry?

My mice produced a surplus, so Tiger got a rare treat Tiger's a blotched tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum melanostictum). I think I've had him about 13 years now.

 

lol thats cool he is neat lookin matt

 

LOL.. I like that pic with his eyes closed! He seems to be really enjoying it! LOL 8)

 

Hey,

beautiful salamander u have there,
how i wish i could have one!!!

anyway do you have pictures of its enlosure???

cheers

 

Great pics Matt, I love salamanders. Don't you just want to pinch their cheeks???

 

Great pictures Matt, never seen one of those before, just gorgeous,

 

That looks similar to the salamanders that run around Saskatchewan in the summer time

 

It depends on the subspecies and whether or not they've just shed. After a fresh shed he's a bright olive green, with black webbing, making a blotched pattern, but that's cause he's Ambystoma tigrinum melanostictum. The ones you've seen are probably eastern tiger salamanders. There are many subspecies all across the U.S. There's some dispute over whether all but the eastern should be moved to Ambystoma mavortium subspecies. I know that the california tiger salamander was somewhat recently given its own species, seperate from the rest of the tigers, but still in Ambystoma. Here are a few:

A. t. tigrinum (eastern):
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/critter/amphibian/images/easternTiger.jpg

A. t. melanstictum (blotched):
http://www.und.nodak.edu/org/ndwild/pics/sal3.GIF

A. t. diaboli (gray):
http://www.und.nodak.edu/org/ndwild/pics/sal2.GIF

A. t. mavortium (barred):
http://www.petpet.ne.jp/zukan/amphibia/3.jpg

A. t. nebulosum (arizona):
http://www.cnah.org/images/herps/823.jpg

 

Cool

It looks like slow motion when you scroll down the page!

 

Its hard to say, as patterns can vary with individuals. Some easterns will have a more striped pattern than others, and some barred will have more spots than others. Both can be found in the pet trade too, but I think easterns are more common. Don't quote me on that though, I've never actually seen a tiger salamander in a pet shop before that wasn't caught locally.