The Mudpuppy

Regarding the previous post, “One Heck Of A Fish Story”, I give you the Mudpuppy. Make of it what you will.

The Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) is a large salamander, about 30 cm long, that lives its entire life in water. It is widespread in lakes and rivers of North America. Adult Mudpuppies are mottled brown with long, feathery, maroon-coloured gills. These amphibians also possess lungs which aid in respiration when oxygen levels are low. Mudpuppies retain their gills for their entire lives, never transforming into air-breathing, gill-less adults as do most salamanders. Like all salamanders, they hide under rocks and logs during the daytime, and search for food at night. Their prey includes insects, snails, fish, other amphibians and especially crayfish. Mudpuppies live more than twenty-five years if they can avoid being eaten by turtles, water snakes, large fish such as bass, pike and pickerel, or occasionally, by mink or raccoon. Unlike most amphibians, Mudpuppies are active during the cold months. Adults are frequently caught by people who are ice fishing, particularly in the late winter.