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Discover Nature: Tiger Salamanders

Eastern Tiger Salamanders begin breeding in water in the waning weeks of winter. Watch for these seldom-seen amphibians as they begin their aquatic courtship.

This week on Discover Nature, seldom-seen salamanders find love in late winter.

    

Eastern tiger salamanders grow to seven- to eight-inches in length, with striking yellow or olive and black patterns on their moist skin. 

They live in woodlands, swamps, prairies, and old fields near farm ponds. You may also occasionally find them in wells, basements, and root cellars. 

In autumn, these amphibians migrate to fishless ponds and swamps, where courting and breeding will begin in mid-February. 

Each female may lay up to 1,000 eggs, deposited in small clumps. 

Eggs hatch in a few weeks, and aquatic, gilled larvae emerge to develop in the water through the summer. They transform into terrestrial subadults and migrate to land in late summer. 

Tiger salamanders eat snails, slugs, spiders and other insects, and they become food for birds, fish, and even beetles. 

They are common throughout Missouri, but their numbers are declining, and are currently considered a species of conservation concern. You can help them by providing habitat to support them on your property. 

Learn more about tiger salamanders, places to see them in the wild, and how you can help them on your property with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online field guide.  

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Kyle Felling was born in the rugged northwest Missouri hamlet of St. Joseph (where the Pony Express began and Jesse James ended). Inspired from a young age by the spirit of the early settlers who used St. Joseph as an embarkation point in their journey westward, Kyle developed the heart of an explorer and yearned to leave for adventures of his own. Perhaps as a result of attending John Glenn elementary school, young Kyle dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but was disheartened when someone told him that astronauts had to be good at math. He also considered being a tow truck driver, and like the heroes of his favorite childhood television shows (The A-Team and The Incredible Hulk) he saw himself traveling the country, helping people in trouble and getting into wacky adventures. He still harbors that dream.
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