Will a 10 inch neotenic barred tiger still morph?

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justin

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Hi all, I'm new and this is my first post. I'd like to know if a 10 inch neotenic tiger will still morph or should I go for a 5 incher? Thanks for any advice.
 
Do you know where the animal was collected from, and how long ago? Some populations are more/less likely to morph versus stay neotenic, but you'd have to know a fair bit about the particular population that the animal came from to even be able to make good guess.
 
Thanks for your response. I have no idea where they came from or how old they are. All I know is that they have them in 5 and 10 inch specimens. I hate to get a large one and have it not live long. Whether it morphs or not is not important if it is old and ready to expire. I'm just not sure. It's okay if it stays in larval form I just want it to live. My original idea was to get as large of a larval form as I could. That way I could raise one healthy and eventually it would maybe morph into a huge terrestrial adult. But now I'm not sure which size to pick. I need to decide by Thursday. Thanks for your help.
 
Im thinking about ordering a waterdog off king snake...how long does it take to morph? do they need special conditions in order to do so or does it just kind of happen? i emailed the location to find out age and size, and i also asked where they came from...Good question Justin.
 
That is the same ad that I'm talking about. It seems kind of hit-or-miss on when or if they will morph on their own. I have had great communication with these people. I'm gonna go for it and order tomorrow. I decided to get a small one and if it doesn't want to morph then that's okay with me as long as it lives and seems healthy and happy. The only thing that I don't like is that they use the term "waterdog" for these neonate barred tigers. But I guess a lot of people do and it's a shorter title. At least they say in the ad what they turn into. As far as them morphing, I think it has a lot to do with the water conditions(temp,ph,level and of course cleanliness) but I could be wrong. Also if they came from a population that doesn't become terrestrial.
 
Waterdog is a common name for larval tiger salamanders. It's perfectly acceptable.

I think neotenic populations of tiger salamanders are pretty rare. Some do take two years before morphing though.
 
Acceptable? Yes. I agree. But it's got to be confusing since their is an aquatic salamander that always has that name and is more of a mud puppy. I'm sure that some individuals do take longer to morph than others. As I'm also sure that some never do become terrestrial. It all has to do with the location and water/land conditions. That's all I was trying to say. I'm also from Michigan originally and I never even saw larval forms. My bet is that they couldn't survive in the water with all the turtles. Especially the snapping turtles. Turtles are my main interest thanks to growing up in Michigan. I keep 8 at the moment. One of them is from Michigan too!
 
I live on the detroit river and am an avid fisher, the snapping turtles I have seen were HUGE! They were almost pre-historic looking, with algae growing on them, and zebra mussels, like something out of the swamp thing, but very cool....The thing is, if mud puppy larvae and adults could survive where the turtles live, why couldn't a water dog or tiger salamander?? Also, I think the climate is to cold, our winters are extremely harsh for land salamanders, wouldn't you think? I have never seen a tiger around where I live, and the species range is more western than ontario. I read they are in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
 
Mud puppies belong to the genus Necturus, not Ambystoma. Larval Ambystoma are often referred to as waterdogs.

Kara, you'd be surprised the salamanders that survive in Ontario. Most go underground in the winter.

There are neotenic populations of tiger salamanders in the UP. You just have to know where to look for them!
 
Joan, would you happen to have a specie index of salamanders for southern ontario?? The only ones I've ever seen besides mudpuppies are these long red ones, in the kitchener area...
Also, I know water dogs and mud puppies are different species, what I was saying is, if mudpuppies could survive turtles, why couldnt tiger salamanders? I really dont think tiger salamanders live around here. Sorry if I was unclear!!
 
I had many wild caught tigers growing up in Michigan but I never saw the larva.
 
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