Amphibians · Caudata · Proteidae

Mudpuppy

Necturus maculosus

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

It is neotenic: it keeps its feathery external gills throughout adult life, never completing the metamorphosis other salamanders go through, a trait it shares with the Mexican axolotl.

Weight

1.8 kg – 2.5 kg

Size

33 cm – 48.2 cm

Lifespan

11 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

FreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Freshwater

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Fun facts

The size of its gills varies with the oxygen available: larger in still water, smaller in fast currents.
It eats crayfish, fish, aquatic insects, molluscs and worms.
It lives in clear lakes, rivers and streams of eastern North America.
biologíaIt keeps its feathery external gills throughout adult life, never completing the metamorphosis to a land form, a phenomenon called neoteny.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Clear lakes, rivers and streams of eastern North America, from southern Canada to Georgia
Birth weight: Larva 20-25 mm long on hatching
Size at birth: 20 - 25 mm long at hatching
Sexual maturity: 4-8 years (5-8 years most often given, at ~175-200 mm long)
Gestation / incubation: 1-2 months of incubation, guarded by the female
Litter / clutch size: 18 to 180 eggs per clutch (most commonly 48-60)

Sources consulted: Virginia Herpetological Society; Dimensions.com; Animal Diversity Web; JungleDragon; Animalia.bio; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); USGS NAS Species Profile; Wikipedia (Common mudpuppy); Michigan Natural Features Inventory