Amphibians · Caudata · Sirenidae

Greater Siren

Siren lacertina

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The greater siren is an eel-like amphibian of almost a metre in length that keeps its external gills for life, has tiny front legs and no hind legs at all. It is entirely aquatic and, when its pool dries out, it buries itself in the mud and forms a cocoon of mucus, surviving that way for more than a year without water.

Size

50 cm – 97 cm

Lifespan

25 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

Easy

FreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Freshwater

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Fun facts

It survives droughts inside a cocoon: it buries itself in the mud and secretes a hardened layer of mucus that wraps it completely, holding in moisture for more than a year until the water returns.
It has no hind legs and its front legs are tiny: it moves by wriggling like an eel, and its appearance led the first naturalists to classify it wrongly among the fishes.
In 2018 a sister species was described in Alabama, nicknamed the leopard siren, which turned out to be one of the largest vertebrates discovered in the United States in a century.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Pools, canals, marshes and shallow water with dense vegetation in the south-eastern United States
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: Larval development in water
Litter / clutch size: 500

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_lacertina