(Dallas County) Salamander migration is underway in Iowa. Tiger salamanders are seen crossing through Dallas County as they leave their underground homes to the wetlands. Zach Moss, Dallas County Conservation Board naturalist, and natural resource manager, says this is a yearly event, and the amphibians typically migrate during rainy, cold nights in early October. Moss adds that salamanders reproduce in the wetlands.
These salamanders are approximately six to eight inches long. They are dark gray or black with brownish-yellow markings. In some subspecies, the yellow markings are large spots or stripes, while others have small yellow, irregularly shaped spots. For example, the barred tiger salamander of the lower Great Plains has large, elongated spots. The eastern tiger salamander has small spots. Some individuals might have no spots at all.
