IA Status A valid fishing license is required to possess this species as bait. Tiger salamanders are found throughout Iowa, although they remain underground most of the year. This is a large Iowa salamander with specimens up to 13 inches long.
Adults are black to gray in ground color with irregular yellow spots all over the body.
Usually, adults have a yellow lower lip and throat. They have 11 to 14 costal grooves and there are four toes on the front and five on the back feet. Larvae have bushy gills and are much paler in coloration than adults. Subspecies Only the eastern tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum, is found in Iowa. The eastern tiger salamander is found throughout the entire state of Iowa.