A smallish motion in the middle of my country road near the cattail pond and mailboxes caught my attention.
Strange motion.
At first, I thought I was
seeing a fish flopping. Then I thought
wounded bird. I drew to a halt near the
mystery critter and exited my car to investigate.
To my amazement, I discovered a
western tiger salamander slowly inching across the road in its wracking back and
forth walking style. This is the first
tiger salamander I have seen in my life.
After capturing a few images of
the salamander, I scooped the reptile into my hand, walked it across the road, and
placed it near the cattails where it was headed. The salamander did not struggle against me at
all and felt surprisingly solid and muscular when I picked it up.
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
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.
Western Tiger Salamander
—Mitchell Hegman
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