& SS I OS FS 9 PS PL EO SS PO ELE 
AMBLYSTOMA TIGRINUM 
FRANK A. HASSENPLUG, M. D. 
ih 
| SO 8 Ss as 
Amblystoma tigrinum 
e 
Much has been written concerning this 
bartrachian, but many of the writers ap- 
pear to have had little experience with it, 
both as a captive and in the wild state. 
As it is found in nearly every portion of 
the United States, although not very 
common east of the Mississippi, we think 
the views of one who has had consider- 
able experience with it during the past 
twenty-five years may be of interest. 
The animal has a great many names, the 
most common being water dog, mud pup- 
py, devil fish and hijalote (Mexican). 
All are familiar in perhaps eight of the 
Western States. The aquarist knows the 
larval form as the Axolotl. 
The poor creature is feared almost 
universally and destroyed whenever en- 
countered, not only by thoughtless boys, 
but by fairly intelligent adults, nearly 
all of whom say that its bite is not only 
dangerous but usually fatal. In reality 
they never attempt to bite either from 
fear or viciousness, but under one con- 
dition they may be induced to take hold 
SE 6 6 a a eo a a a a a es 
Axolotl or Larval Form 
C 
of a finger. While feeding they are ex- 
tremely stupid, though not at all slug- 
gish, and while snapping to the right 
or left in search of food in their im- 
mediate vicinity they are as likely to grab 
the leg or tail of a companion, holding 
tenaciously for a few seconds, as they 
are to take the food. While in this state 
of excitement or hunger they will grasp 
one’s little finger and may be withdrawn 
from the water, remaining suspended 
in the air for half a minute. The 
muscles of the jaws are so weak and 
the teeth so small that they never punc- 
ture the skin or produce even slight pain. 
If the temperature of the water 
changes gradually it makes no great dif- 
ference to them what it may be. They 
may be taken in a shallow surface pond 
during July in water too warm for hu- 
man comfort, or in one of the icy lakes 
on Pike’s Peak, thirteen thousand feet 
above sea level, in October. Here the 
water is always cold, and the surface 
covered with ice seven months in a 
