Definition

1. Noun:
   • A widely distributed North American salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) characterized by its brown or black coloration with distinctive vertical yellowish blotches or stripes, resembling a tiger's pattern.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The tiger salamander is one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America.
  • We found a tiger salamander under a log near the pond.
  • The tiger salamander's distinctive markings provide camouflage in its grassland habitat.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific Context: In herpetology, the term tiger salamander often refers specifically to the species , but it can also encompass several related subspecies within the "tiger salamander complex."
  • The study focused on the larval development stages of the eastern tiger salamander.

Variants and Related Words

• Ambystoma tigrinum (n): The scientific binomial name for the tiger salamander.
• Mole salamander (n): The common name for the family (Ambystomatidae) to which the tiger salamander belongs.
• Barred tiger salamander (n): A common name for a specific subspecies or morph with pronounced vertical bars.

Synonyms

• Spotted salamander (Note: This is a different, closely related species, , but the names are sometimes confused colloquially due to similar spotted patterns.)

Related Phrases and Terms

• Neotenic tiger salamander: Refers to an individual that retains its larval features, like gills, into adulthood.
  • The axolotl is a famous, permanently neotenic relative of the tiger salamander.
• Tiger salamander larvae: The aquatic, gilled juvenile stage.
  • The pond was teeming with tiger salamander larvae.

Noun

1. widely distributed brown or black North American salamander with vertical yellowish blotches