As someone who by nature requires declaring a favorite in most every category, I will now declare that the Western tiger salamander is my favorite amphibian. They are not reptiles, in spite of dressing up to look like one. Salamanders typically have moist, porous skin, giving them a smooth, almost silky appearance.
Western
tiger salamanders range throughout Montana on the eastern side of the
Continental Divide. According to the Montana Field Guide: Adults are found in
virtually any habitat, providing there is a terrestrial substrate suitable for
burrowing and a body of water nearby suitable for breeding.
Adult
western tiger salamanders are shy by disposition and tend to remain underground
in burrows in prairie or agricultural habitats and only emerge for any length
of time to breed in the water available to them. They make their living by
climbing down in these holes and eating insects and worms.
I
mention all of this in light of the fact that yesterday I caught a Western
tiger salamander in one of the live mousetraps I set near my hot tub outside
the back door. Fortunately, the salamander was unharmed, and I was able to
release it and let it go along its way.
I
have shared images of the salamander in question. Naturally, I also captured a
photograph of the salamander alongside a Cold Smoke beer for a sense of scale.
—Mitchell
Hegman
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