ECOSYSTEMS DIGITAL SEN

Tiger salamanders live in the wetland and the upland of vernal pools. In the early spring, large numbers of adult tiger salamanders gather in the vernal pool. In the water, they lay bunches of eggs attached to twigs. Adult tiger salamanders live in the upland. They burrow into the ground or live beneath logs. They prefer areas that are moist because they do not drink water. Instead, they get water through their skin. The tiger salamander larvae (LAR-vay) live in the water until they grow to the adult life cycle stage.

 

These salamanders eat a variety of animals in their ecosystem. The larvae eat fairy shrimp, insect larvae, and zooplankton. Adult tiger salamanders are active at night. They come out of their burrow and hunt prey of worms, snails, slugs, spiders, and insects.

Adult tiger salamanders are prey for snakes, owls, and bobcats. Larvae are prey for water insects like the dragonfly larvae and the larvae of other salamanders.