This tiger tale is all wet

You might be tempted to use the adjective “exotic” to describe a recent arrival at Wild Friends, the wildlife rehabilitation center at Best Friends. The tiger salamander—striped black and yellow, of course—was found beside a stretch of highway just a few miles from the sanctuary. Indeed, this largest of salamanders is indigenous to the arid Southwest (the only salamander that is) and is fairly common across the warmer climes of North America. They aren’t exactly conspicuous, though, since they burrow during the day and come out only at night to feed on bugs, worms and even frogs.
After seeing a cat near the salamander, a local resident brought the salamander to Wild Friends, fearing the feline had injured the critter. Thankfully, licensed wildlife rehabilitator Carmen Smith found no injuries, but she did suspect he was dehydrated, which was simple enough to fix. Salamanders absorb moisture through their skin, so all Carmen had to do was spray a little mist on the creature and keep him in a well-humidified room for a couple days.

Once the salamander appeared to be in good shape, Carmen released him along the banks of local Kanab Creek.

Story by Ted Brewer
Photo of a Texas barred tiger salamander by The Horned Jack Lizard on Flickr