Obituary of "Sally" The Salamander

"Sally" The Salamander
ca. 1994 - August 2006

It is with great sadness that I report the death of my salamander, Sally. As a Biology graduate student in Texas, I rescued the skinny 3 inch amphibian from a pet shop with a questionable reputation. I took "her" home to a vivarium, complete with water fall and plants.

Sally made several escape attempts and once became a boxing bag for one of my cats. I'm not sure her eyesight ever recovered from the attack. When she went missing a second time, I panicked, only to find her burrowed under the plants and up against the glass. It was too hot - she was estuvating!

Other times Sally would hang out in the water with her head and front legs poking above the surface. Occasionally, as she continued to eat and grow, we would find her ghost like skin floating in the water where she had shed it - complete with little fingers. And occasionally she would bite our fingers as she grabbed for food. It never hurt, but one always reacted with surprise. She would then act embarrassed and not eat anything more until next meal time. She ate earthworms, nightcrawlers, crickets and loved wild green grasshoppers in the summer. My refrigerator was always stocked with live creatures for her and one time the nightcrawlers got loose in the food bins... yelp!

Sally moved from her native land Texas in a box right along with the dogs and cats to Virginia. When it was time for me to move to Germany, she made the long journey to live with Mom and Dad in Missouri. They have faithfully kept her fed, cleaned her water, and replanted her vivarium for the nearly 9 years I've been away. Dad, you're going to have to find someone else to feed those grasshoppers to... thanks to you both for taking care of Sally, my science project, my sweet pet, my Salamander.

-Tiffany

For more info see below or for raising Tiger Salamanders in captivity, check out:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml
and the following identification guide by the USGS:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/herps/amphibid/species/atigrin.htm

Barred Tiger Salamander(Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium)
Other Names:
Tiger Salamander

Description:

The tiger salamander is the largest land-dwelling salamander in the world. The barred tiger salamander typically grows from 6 - 8 1/2 inches. Overall, the body is dark brown to black with yellow bars and spots giving it the 'tiger-stripe' look.

Life History:

These large salamanders make a nice meal for many animals such as snakes, turtles, herons and fish. They, in turn, may predate on insects, earthworms, small mice and even other amphibians. Barred tiger salamanders best avoid predators by a nocturnal and secretive lifestyle. They are active under the cover of darkness and spend most of their time in underground burrows or in thick vegetation near water. This salamander may take cover in mammal burrows or, if the soil is soft enough, they will dig out their own shelter.

Tiger salamanders have a fascinating and adaptable life process. Typically, tiger salamander larvae feed and grow during the spring and early summer and amorphose two to five months after hatching. However, some populations never
metamorphose. If the water system where they live is permanent and the environment surrounding the ponded area is dry and inhospitable, they may retain
gills and a wide tail fin, crucial larval characteristics that allow them to live underwater. These salamanders mature in the water and even are able to mate
and reproduce, although they maintain the body of an immature salamander. This
process is called neoteny. Other tiger salamanders, in response to the seasonal drying out of their aquatic habitat, must be able to metamorphose on demand. They even may metamorphose if they are removed from water and handled temporarily.

Those barred tiger salamanders that are lucky enough to breed, either as terrrestrial or aquatic salamanders, usually do so in late winter, but breeding may take place whenever there is enough moisture. Once the female has attached her egg masses to underwater debris in temporary pools, she has nothing more to do with them. They hatch three to five weeks later, depending on water temperature.

Habitat:

They can be found near water in forested and prairie areas where there is adequate moisture.

Distribution:

The barred tiger salamander ranges from central Nebraska to northeastern Mexico. They are distributed throughout Texas except for the eastern quarter.

Reference: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/tigersal/