Two-toed amphiuma

The two-toed amphiuma (Amphiuma means) is a snake-like salamander found chiefly in the southeastern United States. It is commonly, but incorrectly, called "congo snake", "conger eel" or the "blind eel". Two-toed amphiumas are some of the largest extant amphibians in the world.

Two-toed amphiuma
Temporal range: Pleistocene - present
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[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Amphiumidae
Genus: Amphiuma
Species:
A. means
Binomial name
Amphiuma means
Garden in Smith, 1821

Description

Two-toed amphiumas can grow from 39 to 1,042 g (1.4 to 36.8 oz) in mass and from 34.8 to 116 cm (13.7 to 45.7 in) in length.[3][4][5] They have four vestigial legs that end in two toes; the number of toes is one of the primary differences between Amphiuma means and its relatives, the one-toed and three-toed amphiumas. The head is pointed and wedge-shaped, and the eyes are small. Adults retain a single gill slit on each side of the head. They are black, dark grey or dark brown in color.[4]

Behavior

Two-toed amphiumas are nocturnal, and are often difficult to handle because of their slippery skins. They may leave water temporarily if weather is wet enough. They dig burrows in muddy stream bottoms, or may invade the burrows of other aquatic creatures.

They are harmless to humans when left alone, but, when disturbed, they can deliver a tough bite, which may lead to a severe infection. Unlike other salamanders, which are mute, A. means gives a clear whistle when disturbed.

Reproduction

Amphiumas breed from June to July in North Carolina and northern Florida. Females lay about 200 eggs in a damp cavity beneath debris, close to standing water, and they remain coiled around them during incubation (which lasts around five months). Hatchlings are about 2 in (51 mm) long with three pairs of light-colored external gills soon lost after hatching.[6]

Feeding

Two-toed amphiumas feed on small fish, tadpoles, crawfish, insects and insect larvae. They are also recorded to prey on reptiles and amphibians such as southern cricket frogs, southern leopard frogs, greater sirens, peninsula newts, water snakes of the genus Nerodia and small mud turtles. Their hunting behavior is not thoroughly understood, but they are believed to forage actively for food and to wait under debris and in burrows for prey to approach them. They likely detect prey through olfaction.[6]

Habitat and range

Amphiumas live in areas of shallow, heavily vegetated water in swamps, bayous, lakes, and ponds, as well as wet prairies.[6] Their range includes southeastern Virginia, eastern North Carolina, South Carolina, southern Georgia and Alabama, Florida, south Mississippi, Louisiana, and southeastern Texas.[7]

References
  1. Fossilworks
  2. Hammerson, G. (2004). "Amphiuma means". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59074A11879454. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  3. Heisler, N.; Forcht, G.; Ultsch, G.R.; Anderson, J.F. (1982). "Acid-base regulation in response to environmental hypercapnia in two aquatic salamanders, Siren lacertina and Amphiuma means". Respiration Physiology. 49 (2): 141–58. doi:10.1016/0034-5687(82)90070-6. PMID 6815749.
  4. Caudata Culture Species Entry – Amphiuma. Caudata.org. Retrieved on 2013-01-03.
  5. Deyle, Anna C. (2011) Population Genetics of Amphiuma means and Siren lacertina in Central Florida. M.S. Thesis, University of South Florida
  6. "Amphiuma means". amphibiaweb.org. AmphibiaWeb. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  7. "Amphiuma means". amphibiaweb.org. AmphibiaWeb. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
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