Tiger Salamander Muted Colors

[Shadowtail117]

Hi all,

My tiger salamander appears happy and healthy in his habitat, but I have noticed his colors are very muted/dark compared to photos of other tiger salamanders. Underneath the dirt he usually has around him, it is almost impossible to see them (in this photo, I recently watered him and washed away most of the dirt). I don't think he has any condition but is it perhaps an indicator that he is still very young and hasn't developed his colors yet (he is field-collected, so I have no idea what his true age is)? Or are the colorings in stock photos exaggerated to make them look more distinctive? Thanks.

 

[Herpin Man]

Tiger salamander coloration varies throughout their range. Although people like to keep and photograph individuals with high yellow coloration, not all of them look like that. In my area, for example, most tigers are black with olive markings, sometimes dirty yellow. I rarely see one here with the bright yellow. Further west, I find more of the bright yellow.
I’m guessing that you have no idea where your animal came from.