Wild Population of Tiger Salamanders in Saskatchewan

[kay]

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share some information I just recently recieved from a friend of mine, as well as get some expert opinions.

So I am from Toronto Canada, so this is strictly her account. She is from Saskatchewan. She says about 5 some odd years ago, she does not quite remeber, she found a salamander perched under her grandfathers window sill. She says over the years the population has grown; although she only initially saw one. Now when she visits back home, she is guaranteed to see about 20 or so in the immediate area. Her grandparents live on a large plot of land, with forests and river running through.

So now to get to the point, she sent me pictures and it looks quite similar to a Tiger Salamander; which I was under the impression was not found in Canada. I will attach pictures to get your thoughts.

 

[FrogEyes]

Tiger salamanders are widespread and abundant in Canada.

Eastern tigers (Ambystoma tigrinum) are protected federally and in Ontario because of extremely limited distribution (one locality in Ontario and a small part of southeastern Manitoba).

Gray tigers (Ambystoma mavortium diaboli) range through southern Manitoba and in a band across central Saskatchewan to roughly the Alberta boundary east of Edmonton.

Blotched tigers (Ambystoma mavortium melanostictum) range from southwestern Saskatchewan through the southern half of Alberta. They also occur in a small part of the arid southern interior of BC, where they are provincially and federally protected because of habitat loss.

 

[kay]

FrogEyes, thanks alot for responding. I attempted looking up native salamanders to Canada, but I didn't see tigers.

I had no idea we even had them here, I thought they were strictly native to the US.

I was worried that someone had shipped a bunch here and released a them into the wild.

Again, many thanks for the clarification. Learn something new everyday.

 

[DJ Argo]

I used to live 'east of Edmonton' ' and did find them rarely there. Also I recall a location north of Edmonton where I found one wandering adult.

 

[FrogEyes]

I was refering specifically to gray tigers, which have never actually been recorded in Alberta, although the Saskatchewan range closely approaches the boundary.

Blotched tigers are widespread in the province.

I must note that one thing which dismays me no end is the number of people who can't find information, are unaware of a species' presence, etc....does no-one own any of the many available field guides? At the very least, anyone in North America with an interest in North American herps should have at least a copy of one or both of the Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, and Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. There are several additional national or regional guides and guide series, and most states and provinces also have a guide or series thereof. Likwise, many parks and reserves have their. Major bookstores typically have a national guide and one or more local ones on the shelves.

 

[Kaysie]

The Peterson guides are fabulous for all species: trees, insects, mammals, herps. You can find them on amazon for cheap, but brand new the herps of the eastern North America is less than $25.

Books are way awesome-er than the internet in these types of situations. (These) Books are compiled of peer-reviewed data and compiled by experts, while any Joe Shmoe can make a website with or without the correct data.

Also, sometimes you can find them for free! I emailed someone years ago and got the Herps of North Dakota for free. Came with a CD with frog calls too. Nothing like it to torment the cat!

 

[Lamb]

Many people also don't know how to evaluate the quality of the information on a website. But the internet is not all evil. One site that has reliable information, as well as links to range maps, is Amphibiaweb.org. I use it regularly for my own purposes as well as for work. The information is very similar, if not the same, as what you'd find in Lannoo's Amphibian Declines book (2005).

While my Peterson herps field guide for the east is very worn and dog-eared, the species accounts can contain a minimal amount of information, and next to nothing in terms of larvae. I've got to plug any books by or co-authored by Whit Gibbons. I've got his frogs and salamanders book, and if they were just a little bit smaller I'd take them in the field with me. Gibbons' books contain great photos, and typically more info on larvae. Other staples of my diet of amphibian identification knowledge include Petranka's 1998 book. This one also does a decent job describing larvae, and includes dichotomous keys as well as a dozen or so pages of color photos.