Tiger Salamander Cannibal morph

[FishFreak95]

I found out, while doing a biome project for school, that tiger salamanders have cannibal forms and non-cannibal forms! There have been experiments that suggested that high densities of there larva can stimulate cannibalistic traits, ie disproportionally large heads, wide mouths, and enhanced development of vomerine teeth! and it makes sense too, if your species is overcrowded, eat your own kind! lol
Though eating your own kind has down sides, any parasites that there food had are transferred to the cannibal. And overtime these parasites build up, killing the salamander, so the cannibal morphs are fairly uncommon in the wild. but in captivity that's less of an issue I feel like I might be stating a widely known thing, I don't know, just read it in one of my books, I think its just amazing

So, I am wondering, do any of you have the cannibal morph salamanders? Also do you think it would be possible to purposely breed this morph simply by keeping its larva in close quarters together?

 

[Deubie Doo]

I have an axolatl, it ate all of his tankmates arms and legs when I got him. They eat anything and everything ha. Have you ever seen a congo eel? there a huge salamander with a eel like body and little arms and legs.

 

[wantokeeptrout]

I saw a documentary about that. they claim the cannibal is a morph adapted to an environment lacking in smaller foods that the non cannibals eat and that they tend to compose a larger percentage of surviving breeders from a season of the most common food available after hatching in a drying pool, the other salamanders siblings.

 

[Experiment397]

I have caught the cannibal morph tigers before. They have much wider heads and a more aggressive attitude. Almost to the point of seeming like a different species. Very interesting adaptation...


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[crayfishguy]

i heard this once too... very interesting