Salamanders

Saint Léon is home to the grey tiger salamander.

We offer a 30 minute video on these amphibians as well as a terrarium and an aquarium, that acts as its own ecosystem, where you can see them up close.

Quick facts:

  • The salamander lives a double life, one in the water and one on land. 
  • Life starts as a tadpole with gills to breathe underwater, and then then they develop lungs to breath on land. 
  • Never drinks water because it absorbs it through its skin. 
  • Lives in humid and dark places. 
  • There are 12 species in Canada and 3 are found in Manitoba. 
  • They can live up to 25 years in captivity and 10 to 15 years in the wild. 
  • Many are killed on the roads as they migrate to and from ponds 
  • They eat worms, insects, and small mice. 
  • In the winter they dig tunnels up to 2 meters deep and hibernate.