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I have had this fat cat for 6 years. I can only guess as to which subspecies it is: narrowed it down to Ambystoma tigrinum diaboli,Gray Tiger; or maybe A. t. nebulosum?, Arizona tigs. Opinions always welcome!

nice motled pattern, is he wild caught? If so where is he from?
How long is he, he looks at least 10in in the photo? Also just curious what you feed him, and if you have ever fed live pinkies?
Don't think it's a gray because they usually have dark spots on gray body, patterns on easterns are variable with location from spots to more barred or stripes to motley.

not wild caught. this thing dwarfs any eastern i have ever seen. Its general physique is like that of the beefy subspecies of the west. it's head is massive. it eats anything that moves: crawlers , mice, small snakes.

That's a tough one to tell. I guess it would ultimately come down to where this guy is from since the description fits for both subspecies you mentioned. Just guessing I would say A. t. nebulosum... Do you have any more pictures or info on where you got it from?

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0.1.0 Colombian Red-tailed Boa (100% Het. for albino)
0.0.2 Western Hognose Snakes
0.2.1 Plains Garter Snakes
1.0.0 Red-sided Garter Snake
1.2.0 Barred Tiger Salamanders
0.0.1 Red-eared Slider
0.0.1 Common Snapping Turtle

thanks for the input guys, i can post a newer pic soon

looking at him again he does have some dark spots doesn't he? How long is he? He looks big, but he doesn't look that huge in the picture.

looks like he could use some food

I'm pretty sure that with tiger salamander larvae being sold as bait, non-native types have escaped and interbred with native tigers, further causing confusion in identifying some specimens.

Tim

Third Eye

well here's another shot compared to a typical eastern tig. for whatever reason, the gray has never had much fat storage in its tail no matter how much it eats.

I agree that it is much harder these days with all the crossing from the introduction of bait salamanders... You have a nice salamander too. I'd like to find some really bright yellow ones to add to the collection eventually...
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0.1.0 Colombian Red-tailed Boa (100% Het. for albino)
0.0.2 Western Hognose Snakes
0.2.1 Plains Garter Snakes
1.0.0 Red-sided Garter Snake
1.2.0 Barred Tiger Salamanders
0.0.1 Red-eared Slider
0.0.1 Common Snapping Turtle

last try. best pic i got. what is this monster?

the few black spots would lead one to believe it's a gray or at least a hybrid of a gray x ? .

>>last try. best pic i got. what is this monster? >>

It is easier to say what it is not than what it is. It is not a California tiger salamander, or an Eastern tiger salamander. It is not a barred tiger salamander or an A. t. stebbinsi. The salamanders of the Great Basin, Rockies and Northwestern United States are highly variable in color pattern. R. C. Stebbins does not even give any description of the many subspecies of the tiger salamander in his latest field guide.

Complicating the identification of this species is that some populations tend to be neotenic (i.e. they retain gills, aquatic habits and they breed as larvae). Sometimes these larvae transform but they do not have the coloration of the normal adults. They often retain their larval coloration as transformed adults. Some of the neotenic larvae also become cannibalistic, and the cannibal morph have heads that are wider than the normal adults.

well it sure doesn't resemble my Ambystoma tigrinum. It may be a hybrid of different types of tiger sals.
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1.0.0 Werner's Three-Horned Chameleon
0.0.2 Eastern Tiger Salamanders
0.0.3 Mexican Red-Knee Tarantulas