Features: The Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) is now considered extirpated in Ontario, and it has not been recorded since 1950 when specimens were collected from Pelee Island. It persists in Canada in the prairies and in British Columbia, and is widespread in the United States. Adults are usually black with olive blotches above and lighter coloured underparts, although colouration can be quite variable. Larvae have external gills and resemble small adults. Tiger Salamanders live both in water and on land, but adults spend much of their time underground in burrows. Adults are usually seen only in spring, when they congregate in lakes and deep ponds to breed. The eggs are laid in clumps attached to submerged vegetation or debris. Newly transformed juveniles leave the lakes in midsummer. Some individuals do not transform to the adult form but mature as larvae (neotenes). Neotenes stay in the water, and they need deep lakes that do not freeze completely in winter to survive.

Status: Extirpated Provincially and Nationally

Range: The Tiger Salamander is widely distributed across North America, ranging from Alberta and Saskatchewan south to Mexico, east to the Atlantic Ocean, west to the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. There is a separate population in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and southern British Columbia. In Ontario, the Tiger Salamander was recorded from Point Pelee National Park in 1915, and two specimens were collected in 1950 from Pelee Island and deposited in the ROM collection (Ross MacCulloch, pers. comm.). It has not been recorded since in Ontario. Range Maps

Threats: The Eastern Tiger Salamander was likely never widespread or abundant in Ontario, and so it is impossible to speculate about declines here. Elsewhere in its range, the main threats are water pollution, fish stocking of lakes, and disease. Pesticide run-off into lakes and ponds is known to affect salamander development and survival. The deep lakes favoured by Tiger Salamanders are also attractive to anglers who have stocked many with new fish species. Tiger salamanders are vulnerable to fish predation during the larval stages, and are generally found in fish-free lakes. Viral diseases are known to have caused die-offs in Tiger Salamander populations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and some U.S. regions. Disease epidemics are particularly threatening to small, isolated populations.

Protection: There is no formal protection for this species in Ontario.

Text Sources: Schock 2001

Last Modified Date: June 2010