Abstract:
The tiger salamander's name comes from its coloration which features dark yellow spots and bars across a dark background. It grows to lengths of seven to eleven inches. It is an extremely difficult creature to find, as it spends ten months of the year beneath the surface of the ground feeding on earthworms and other insects. It leaves its burrow in December and January to breed in nearby ponds and then goes back underground. Although tiger salamanders were once widespread across the state, they are now confined to the edge of the Sandhills in Robeson, Hoke, and Scotland Counties.