partners in conservation, restoration and care of important wildlife habitat
Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship
Blotched Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma mavortium melanostictum
Status
Endangered (Federal)
Red List (Provincial)
Description
Blotched Tiger Salamanders are 14 cm to 25 cm in length, have unwebbed, pointy toes, and a variety of yellowish-green brown mottled skin colourations. Young individuals have creamy or pale yellow blotches on a dark green-grey background. As the salamander ages, the colouring reverses, with the dark green-grey becoming blochey pr barred and the cramy yellow reducing to a background colour. The belly is dark grey.
Habitat
In the Okanagan, Tiger Salamanders can inhabit open fields and rough ground, upland meadows, grasslands, semi-deserts and deserts, however they require several key features in those habitats, including loose soil for burrowing, semi-permanent to permanent fish-free water bodies for breeding, and possibly small mammal burrows for daily cover and suitable over-wintering sites.
Blotched Tiger Salamanders can be found from Osoyoos to Summerland.
Threats
-Predation and disease transmission from invasive species (e.g. American Bullfrogs)
-Stocking wetlands/ponds with non-native fish
-Loss of wetland habitat through destruction, modification, draining and channalization
-Wetland destruction and contamination from development, invasive plants, and chemical runoff
-Habitat fragmentation, causing species isolation and an increasing risk of road mortality
-Livestock trampling and erosion of banks around wetlands
-Swimming pools with unprotected circulation pumps
-Compaction of soil through urban development, agricultural practices (eg grazing and tilling), and recreational activities (ATV).
You Can Help!
-Never move amphibians or fish from one pond to another to prevent disease spread.
-Protect wetlands from development, livestock, and fish stocking
-Remove invasive species that may carry disease and/or prey on tadpoles(e.g. Bullfrogs, Goldfish)
-Reduce wetland exposure to contaminants and pollution (e.g. increase vegetation buffers)
-Protect remaining wetlands and terrestrial habitat (e.g. grasslands and forested areas)
-For swimming pools install floating ramps like the Frog Log (TM) for escape
-Maintain natural sandy soils and vegetation instead of installing sod, gravel, or pavement
-Prevent over-grazing, which causes soil compaction, and prevents the salamander from burying itself in to the ground