Some Arizona populations of salamanders have a high incidence of disease caused by a bacterial infection that strikes during midsummer. Collins and his research team noticed a link between the abundance of cannibals and the likelihood of the population going extinct because of the disease. A salamander is more likely to harbor a microbe especially lethal to other salamanders. Hence, cannibalism is expected to be less frequent in populations where disease is prevalent. Tiger salamanders live in mountain meadow ponds at elevations between 5,000 and 9,600 feet.
Adults resemble small catfish.
They can grow to a length of just over a foot. In the West, plankton forms the base of the food chain, progressing to aquatic insects, typical salamanders, and then cannibalistic salamanders. Tiger salamanders are the only species of vertebrates that have distinctive physical traits associated with their cannibalistic behavior. Scientists still don't know whether all salamanders have the potential to become cannibals. Next have some fun with some puzzles based on this article or another article at Ask a Biologist.