Free Teacher Resources
A black California tiger salamander with cream spots crawling through grass.
Photo: John Cleckler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

California Tiger Salamander

Ambystoma californiense

A big black salamander with yellow spots that lives in ground-squirrel burrows and breeds in seasonal pools in central California.

🦎 Salamanders
Checking teacher reviews…
Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the California Tiger Salamander

California tiger salamanders are 7 to 8 inches long, one of the larger salamanders, with a broad snout, bulging eyes and a dark back with yellow or cream spots. They live in low woodlands, wetlands and scrub in central California, spending much of their time in pocket gopher or ground squirrel burrows. Adults eat insects, earthworms and snails.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Ambystoma californiense[1]
Size
7 to 8 inches long.[1]
Lifespan
12 to 15 years in the wild. Up to 25 in human care.[1]
Diet
Larvae eat algae and small water animals; adults eat insects, earthworms and snails.[1]
Habitat
Low woodlands, wetlands and scrub near breeding pools.[1]
Where it lives
Central California.[1]
Group life
Solitary; gathers to breed.[1]
Babies
Eggs in vernal pools hatch in 10 to 14 days.[1]
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021).[2]

Fun facts

  • They live in old gopher and ground-squirrel burrows.[1]
  • Babies must turn into adults before their pool dries up.[1]
  • It was once thought to be a kind of tiger salamander, but it's its own species.[1]

Vocabulary

vernal pool
A shallow pool that fills with water in spring and dries up later in the year.
larva
The young stage of an animal that looks different from the adult (plural: larvae).
metamorphosis
A big change in body form as an animal grows up, like a tadpole becoming a frog.
amphibian
A cold-blooded animal, like a frog or salamander, that usually starts life in water.
vulnerable
A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “California tiger salamander.” https://www.sfzoo.org/california-tiger-salamander/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Ambystoma californiense (California Tiger Salamander).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/1098/118971391 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Salamanders

A dark green wild-type axolotl with feathery gills resting on the bottom.AxolotlAmbystoma mexicanumA Mexican salamander that keeps its feathery gills and stays in the water its whole life, famous for regrowing lost body parts.A brown seal salamander photographed on a white background.Seal SalamanderDesmognathus monticolaA lungless stream salamander of the Appalachian Mountains that breathes through its skin and hides under rocks in shallow water.