Scary Tiger Salamander

[SteveSS]

I was leaving the test car facility on Wednesday at 4:00 am on a very lonely blacktop. I was locking up the gates. It had been kind of swampy and stinky down by one gate all summer. In my headlights I see this strange thing crossing the road slowly. It was yellow and black but not moving like a snake. I swear it was 14 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter. It was fat all the way through from the head to the tail. No pointy tail like a lizard but blunt and fat like a Gila Monster. It was so fat I couldn't see its legs, it moved kind of like a caterpillar.

I stopped in the road to get a better look but the creature turned back onk me and started getting aggressive. I realized I hadn't set the parking brake so the car started to roll away, I ran and caught up with it,

Have you watched those shows where a pond is full of salamanders and it's a big happy pond. Th

en the pond starts to dry up and cannibalism occurs until there is one very fat Tiger Salamander crossing the lonely road at 4:00 am. Looked like this guy but twice as big!!!

 

[440Coronet500]

Wow, we have salamanders here in Michigan. But damn, I've never seen one that large or colorful! Very unique. 440'

 

[Bb70charger500]

Sounds like good eats!!!

 

[BeeKool]

We have them here too. About this time I f year during fall rains they start to get active and search for places to hibernate.

 

[moparedtn]

Sounds like good eats!!!

Apparently not. They're quite poisonous, especially their tails. Even handling them, you need to wash
your hands immediately after - poisonous slime on 'em.

 

[Cranky]

Have them around here too but nothing like that one! And you do test drives and didn't set the brake? Thought many of the new cars have an automatic parking brake these days?

 

[NJRR]

I saw one of these in the basement of my summer home. I've never seen one in over 50 years of going up there, just regular salamanders.
Like Moparedtn said, their slime is poisonous !!!! Had to make sure my little nephew didn't touch it !!!

 

[zyzzyx]

We don't have anything like that in Illinois that I know of. Me thinks the politicians chased them all out to
Iowa and Michigan!

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

Yup see them quite often this time of year

 

[SteveSS]

Have them around here too but nothing like that one! And you do test drives and didn't set the brake? Thought many of the new cars have an automatic parking brake these days?

I was leaving the facility in my own car.

 

[BeeKool]

Maybe that's what's wrong with me... I've been picking them up and examining them since I was a small fry

 

[Budnicks]

we get a shitload of Blue Belly & Alligator Lizards here

I've never seen a salamander on my property
I'm sure we have them in the rivers or lakes
seen a few
I'm not sure the breed they are either , I'll look

our Calif. Tiger Salamander is 'allegedly' Endangered

(Calif. Newt, is poisonous)