Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

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Adam Cooner
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Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Adam Cooner »

"All my means are sane, my motive and my object mad." - Captain Ahab, Moby Dick

This is the story of how the most widespread salamander in North America became my white whale and how I, unlike the unfortunate Captain Ahab, met my quarry without being dragged down to the depths to drown.

While it would be many years later—and the blame there lies at the feet of Chris Montross—that I would become a “salamander guy,” I had my first face-to-face introduction with the Eastern tiger salamander when it made an appearance as Organism of the Day in Dr. Debbie Folkerts' Honors Organismal Biology course at Auburn (2005). We were introduced to a big, beautiful salamander that Dr. Folkerts’ young daughter had, for reasons that will forever remain a mystery to me, named “Face Head.” I fell in love with a salamander that day—and with the idea that someday I could find one in the wilds of Alabama.

I’ll fully admit that I knew nothing of the tiger salamander’s habits or habitat, and most of my early looking was, in retrospect, woefully inept. While that salamander always lurked in the back of my mind, finding snakes and tree frogs came more easily, and I devoted more time to these herps, learning their ranges and habits and finding my “spots” in Tuskegee National Forest, Walker County, and various locales in between.

Eventually, I did my reading and research and began to hunt armed with more knowledge. Along the way, I photographed every other species of Ambystoma in Alabama, including the comparatively rarer small-mouth salamander. Tigers continued to elude me. I was well-entrenched in work three hours away when a group of NAFHA friends struck gold in South Alabama two years ago and started texting me photos of the handfuls of tigers they’d found. By the time I could make a visit to the site one week later, the salamanders were nowhere to be found.

I was gifted with a list of the sites tiger salamanders were collected from leading up to Dr. Bob Mount publishing his The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama. Many of the historic sites are within short driving distance of either my home or the clinic where I work. Visiting those sites has been an exercise in futility and a sobering lesson on the impact humans have had on tiger salamanders' habitat.

In a long tragicomedy, I made repeated trips to the breeding pond in South Alabama the year after my friends' success there and, in sequence, found (1) very little water, (2) no water, (3) very little water, and, (4) finally, that the site had no water AND that the vegetation had fallen to a controlled burn. The prevailing theme? No tiger salamanders.

I made a couple of attempts at road-cruising tigers this year only to be the laughingstock of the weather gods. Wherever I was, the rain clouds weren't.

And so it came to pass that I made yet another go at the South Alabama breeding pond, this time with Robb Herrington (EctoHunter) and Chris Davis. The road was gated to all but foot traffic--an unsettling omen--but we were determined to try. As we neared the pond, a choir of Southern chorus frogs and spring peepers greeted us. We waded out into the water, noting numerous chorus frog egg masses. One by one we all spotted tiny, legless larvae swimming in the pond: newly-hatched tiger salamanders. While these may have technically counted as my lifer tiger salamander, this was not the life stage I had searched so many years for, and the words, "I guess there's always next year," left my mouth.

The story takes a turn with five different words from Chris Davis.

"Can I get a net?"

In the middle of the pond I'd brought us to--until this very moment for seemingly nothing--Chris had a wad of vegetation in his hand. In the midst of that water-logged grass and slime, a long, dark, yellow-blotched tail writhed. Dumped into the net, the tail was found to belong to an approximately 7-inch male tiger salamander. My penance to the salamander gods apparently paid, I was looking at my lifer.

ImageEastern Tiger Salamander by Adam Cooner, on Flickr

ImageEastern Tiger Salamander by Adam Cooner, on Flickr

Yeah, I hear there are nicer looking tigers out there, but I've never seen a prettier sight myself.

ImageEastern Tiger Salamander by Adam Cooner, on Flickr

After finishing up our photo session and saying our goodbyes, we let our friend go.

ImageEastern Tiger Salamander by Adam Cooner, on Flickr

We started with a little literature, and we'll end with some too.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
- The Tyger, William Blake
Tamara D. McConnell
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

So happy for you! I hope you did an appropriately jubilant Lifer Dance. Love the narrative and photos. Well done!
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by BillMcGighan »

:lol: :lol: :lol:

That was great, Adam.

I think any of us in the east can empathize with your story!!

Excellent..




PS The Midwest guys laugh at us that we make such a fuss about such a common salamander (to them)!
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Adam Cooner
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Adam Cooner »

Tamara D. McConnell wrote:So happy for you! I hope you did an appropriately jubilant Lifer Dance. Love the narrative and photos. Well done!
As it turns out, dancing is difficult in chest waders and water-filled boots, but I might have threatened to kiss Chris for successfully catching our target.
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Adam Cooner
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Adam Cooner »

BillMcGighan wrote::lol: :lol: :lol:

That was great, Adam.

I think any of us in the east can empathize with your story!!

Excellent..




PS The Midwest guys laugh at us that we make such a fuss about such a common salamander (to them)!
Thanks, Bill! I lived in the Midwest briefly. I'll take the relative scarcity of tigers here over the prospect of living there again, so let 'em laugh, :lol:
Jim Godwin
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Jim Godwin »

The late December rains have resulted in excellent conditions for the winter breeding amphibians of south Alabama. I was at pond two weeks ago and estimate that there were > 1000 tiger salamander egg masses. Nothing but the jelly mass was left as the eggs had long since hatched. My visit was during the day, a nocturnal visit should reveal numerous larvae. As full as the ponds are and with the regular rains we are getting this year the amphibian metamorph numbers should be excellent.

I also caught a female chicken turtle cruising around in the shallows of one other pond.
Carl D. May
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Carl D. May »

Nice read and photos Adam. sigh...yes, many of us have our own personal white whale.
The shot of yours swimming away is quite neat looking!
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kevin h
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by kevin h »

Excellent find Adam, I too have longed to see a eastern tiger for sometime. And honestly I'm jealous of your location, I've heard tigers are a much more difficult find in KY. But hopefully one of these weekends soon the weather will cooperate and me and my bud Ananth will score. Once again great story and thanks for sharing.
Tamara D. McConnell
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

I am very jealous (but in a good way, am really just thrilled for you) about the fairy shrimp. Doggone. I have been searching SO hard for them. Tigers AND fairy shrimp...holy cow. What a night!
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Noah M
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Noah M »

Congrats. I enjoyed the read. Sometimes it seems like the harder you look, the less likely you are to find whatever you were looking for.
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kevin h
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by kevin h »

Excellent find Adam, I too have longed to see a eastern tiger for sometime. And honestly I'm jealous of your location, I've heard tigers are a much more difficult find in KY. But hopefully one of these weekends soon the weather will cooperate and me and my bud Ananth will score. Once again great story and thanks for sharing.
We failed.
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walk-about
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by walk-about »

Great story Adam. Your photos are really awesome.

Dave
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Adam Cooner
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Adam Cooner »

Carl D. May wrote:Nice read and photos Adam. sigh...yes, many of us have our own personal white whale.
The shot of yours swimming away is quite neat looking!
Noah M wrote:Congrats. I enjoyed the read. Sometimes it seems like the harder you look, the less likely you are to find whatever you were looking for.
walk-about wrote:Great story Adam. Your photos are really awesome.

Dave
Thanks, guys!
kevin h wrote:Excellent find Adam, I too have longed to see a eastern tiger for sometime. And honestly I'm jealous of your location, I've heard tigers are a much more difficult find in KY. But hopefully one of these weekends soon the weather will cooperate and me and my bud Ananth will score. Once again great story and thanks for sharing.
kevin h wrote:
Excellent find Adam, I too have longed to see a eastern tiger for sometime. And honestly I'm jealous of your location, I've heard tigers are a much more difficult find in KY. But hopefully one of these weekends soon the weather will cooperate and me and my bud Ananth will score. Once again great story and thanks for sharing.
We failed.
Sorry it didn't pan out for you guys. Clearly, it's those failures that'll make the story better when you do find them. And you will. Just keep looking . . . or, as Noah suggested, STOP looking.
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ScottAL
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by ScottAL »

Congrats Adam! I know the feeling when you FINALLY find a long-sought target herp. With me it was P. m. flavissimus. Many trips, many hours in the field, and then Boom!, it's a great feeling and a relief.
What are you gonna chase now?
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Adam Cooner
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Re: Tiger Salamander (Long Read)

Post by Adam Cooner »

ScottAL wrote:Congrats Adam! I know the feeling when you FINALLY find a long-sought target herp. With me it was P. m. flavissimus. Many trips, many hours in the field, and then Boom!, it's a great feeling and a relief.
What are you gonna chase now?
Thanks, Scott. I'm still looking to photograph an adult spring salamander in the state. I've found and photographed a few larvae, but the adults elude me.
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