---
title: "California Tiger Salamander"
description: "Ambystoma californiense — Amphibians. The California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) is a vulnerable amphibian native to California."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/california-tiger-salamander
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# California Tiger Salamander

> Ambystoma californiense — Amphibians. The California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) is a vulnerable amphibian native to California.

- Scientific name: *Ambystoma californiense*
- Category: `amphibians` (Amphibians)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 1250
- Wikidata: [Q2030667](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2030667)
- iNaturalist taxon: [26778](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/26778)

## Names

- en: California Tiger Salamander
- de: Kalifornischer Tiger-Querzahnmolch
- es: Salamandra tigre de California
- fr: Ambystome tigre de Californie
- nl: Californische tijgersalamander
- pl: Ambystoma kalifornijska

## Countries with the most observations

US (1083)

## Summary

The California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) is a vulnerable amphibian native to California. It is a mole salamander. Previously considered to be a subspecies of the tiger salamander (A. tigrinum), the California tiger salamander was recently designated a separate species again. Historically, they were endemic to the San Joaquin-Sacramento river valleys, although their range has now contracted into three distinct population segments that are geographically isolated and genetically distinct from one another. The California tiger salamander distinct population segment (DPS) in Sonoma County and the Santa…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_tiger_salamander

## Photo

![California Tiger Salamander](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/california-tiger-salamander/medium.jpg)

Photo: Scott Loarie · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/464931

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/california-tiger-salamander?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).