The Only Salamander in Arizona! (ID Guide)

ByLindsey Dahle
2 Comments

Did you find a salamander in Arizona?

First, congratulations! These amphibians can be hard to find. The best places to look are in wet habitats under rocks and in creekbeds. Honestly, looking for salamanders is a really fun experience!

Believe it or not, there is only one type of salamander that regularly calls Arizona home. You will learn about this unique species below. 🙂

#1. Western Tiger Salamander

  • Ambystoma mavortium

common salamanders in arizona

Identifying Characteristics

  • Adults range from 3 to 6.5 inches in length.
  • Their coloring is greenish-yellow with black markings, ranging from large spots and stripes to small irregular shapes on the head, back, and tail.
  • This species has a thick body and neck and a short snout.

Western Tiger Salamanders are secretive and spend much of their time underground. You’re most likely to see them moving about and foraging on rainy nights. Their favorite hiding spots are burrows, which they can make themselves or borrow from other animals.

Interestingly, Western Tiger Salamanders have four distinct morphs as adults. Scientists classify them by whether they are aquatic or terrestrial, and also by what they eat. For example, a typical Western Tiger Salamander eats insects and frogs, breathes above water, and spends time on land.

However, there is a terrestrial morph that cannibalizes other Western Tiger Salamanders! In addition, there are cannibalistic and non-cannibalistic aquatic morphs that have gills and breathe underwater.

species of salamanders in arizona

The aquatic individuals are called paedomorphs, and while they are mature and able to reproduce normally, they retain a lot of the features of larval Western Tiger Salamanders. The most obvious feature is their frilly, long gills!

Although Western and Eastern Tiger Salamanders are closely related, it would be unusual to mix up these two species. First, because they rarely share the same range and aren’t often seen together. Second, Western Tiger Salamanders are smaller and lack the black snout patch that Eastern Tiger Salamanders have.

Have you seen this salamander in Arizona before?

Tell us about it in the comments!

Also, if you enjoy this article, make sure to check out these other guides about herps! As you may have guessed, “herps” refers to herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians like salamanders.

Lindsey has been writing at Bird Watching HQ since 2021. She loves sharing her enthusiasm for birds and other wildlife. She is especially passionate about planting native plants in her yard to attract birds naturally. Lindsey is lucky enough to live next to a pond, where she regularly attracts many types of water birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

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2 Comments

  1. I was surprised to find a Tiger Salamander in my garden this morning. I live in Prescott, Az. Year -round water is iffy where I live, and this year has been unusually hot and dry. I think it was taking advantage of the moist garden space.

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  2. We were just in Flagstaff/Sedona AZ visiting our son who moved there from CA in December and he wanted to take us on a hike to see the “ axolotls”. Knowing axolotls should not be in AZ, I found your article and can say that yes, we saw the Western Tiger Salamander. We only saw it for brief moment but my son has pictures from seeing lots of them on previous occasions, all in the same location; Coconino Nation Forest. The location was between Slide Rock and Flagstaff on the Griffith Springs Loop trail.

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