Ambystoma mavortium
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The Barred Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) is a species of salamander found from southwestern Canada in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, south through the western United States to Texas, and northern Mexico.

Description
The Barred Tiger Salamander is a large species, with a broad head and a bulky body. It is typically dark brown to olive green, or black in color, with large yellow blotches. They are capable of growing to 14 inches (35 cm) in length.

Behavior
Primarily nocturnal, Barred Tiger Salamanders are opportunistic feeders, and will often eat anything they can catch, including various insects, slugs, and earthworms. They are primarily terrestrial as adults, but their juvenile larval stage is entirely aquatic, having external gills.

Subspecies
There are five recognized subspecies of A. mavortium:

Gray Tiger Salamander, Ambystoma mavortium diaboli (Dunn, 1940)
Barred Tiger Salamander, Ambystoma mavortium mavortium (Baird, 1850)
Blotched Tiger Salamander, Ambystoma mavortium melanostictum (Baird, 1860)
Arizona Tiger Salamander, Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum (Hallowell, 1853)
Sonoran Tiger Salamander, Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi (Lowe, 1954)

In captivity
Tiger Salamanders are frequently kept in captivity. Their large size allows for ease of feeding, and their hardy nature make them excellent captives. Their larval stage is often sold as fishing bait, marketed as mud puppies or water dogs.

Trivia
The Barred Tiger Salamander is the State Amphibian of Kansas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambystoma_mavortium

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