Amphibians · Caudata · Proteidae

Neuse River Waterdog

Necturus lewisi

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The Neuse River waterdog is a permanently aquatic salamander that keeps its red external gills for life, endemic to two river basins in North Carolina. It never completes metamorphosis: it is an obligate neotene. Its tiny range and the degradation of those rivers by agricultural sediment keep it in decline.

Size

15 cm – 28 cm

Lifespan

20 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

Moderate

FreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Near Threatened Amphibian Freshwater

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Fun facts

It never fully grows up: it keeps its feathery red external gills for life and does not complete metamorphosis, a phenomenon called obligate neoteny that it shares with the Mexican axolotl.
The entire species lives in two river basins in a single American state, and depends on stretches with clean gravel beds under whose stones it shelters.
Sediment from farming and construction clogs those gravel beds and removes its refuges, and is the chief cause of its decline.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Rivers and streams of moderate current with gravel beds in the Neuse and Tar basins, in North Carolina
Sexual maturity: 5 years
Gestation / incubation: 60 days of incubation guarded by the male
Litter / clutch size: 50 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/