TIGERS - BUT NOT THE ONE YOU ARE THINKING OF

The eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) has a warm place in my heart (pun intended because they are “cold blooded”).  The tiger salamander get’s its common name from it’s appearance.  It is a black salamander with yellow, tiger-like, blotches.  The tiger salamander is fairly large (up to 8.25 inches) and will eat any animal they can fit in their mouth; which is tiger like!  These salamanders are common and mainly active at night.  They will migrate to breeding ponds during rainy fall nights, where they will mate that winter or spring.  So, why does this species have a warm spot in my heart?  While I was in graduate school, one of my buddies had a pet tiger salamander.  He would feed it young mice and the salamander always seemed to have a smile.  Humph, maybe I need to reconsider what has a warm spot in my heart…