Ambystoma mavortium
Silhouette: Matt Reinbold (modified by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The barred tiger salamander or western tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) is a species of mole salamander that lives in lower western Canada, the western United States and northern Mexico. The barred tiger salamander typically grows from 7.6 to 16.5 cm (3.0 to 6.5 in), but neotenic forms can grow to lengths of 17.8 to 38.1 cm (7.0 to 15.0 in). It is one of the largest species of salamander in North America. It has a broad head and a sturdy body, with variable color across its range. The dorsal surface is grey, dark brown or black with bars and spots of muddy yellow giving a tiger-like coloring. The ventral surface varies from light to dark. Larvae have alternating dark and light blotches on the centre of the dorsal surface and pale stripes running along the sides. Kansaspedia states that the tiger salamander has been known to live in captivity for more than 20 years.
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... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | ABQ BioPark Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 9 | Sapporo Maruyama Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 10 | Gladys Porter Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Leningrad Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 12 | The Living Planet Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Aquarium of the Pacific | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Vancouver Aquarium | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 16 | Aquarium Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 17 | Aquarium of the Americas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | AOAO Sapporo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 20 | BXSea Aquarium | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 21 | Museum of Life and Science | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
No species of the same family or order lives in Rocky Mountain National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other amphibians.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Western Tiger Salamander sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 249 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Western Tiger Salamander in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Tiger Salamander sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Western Tiger Salamander sightings, Rocky Mountain National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 30%) and Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Tiger Salamander is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Rocky Mountain National Park (249 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
