Indiana park officials find ‘peculiar’ amphibian in swamp

  • The Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife posted a video of the lesser siren – or aquatic salamander – on Facebook
  • It had been found in the Posey County Swamp last week
  • ‘Lesser sirens are one of Indiana’s most peculiar salamanders with their long, eel-like bodies, feathery gills, and only two front legs (no hind legs)’ 
  • Lesser Sirens can get to about two feet in length, with the one seen in the video coming out to just one foot
  • The one in the video was released back into the wetland where it was found 

Park officials in Indiana found a ‘peculiar’ amphibian while working in a swamp last week. 

The Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife posted a video of the lesser siren – or aquatic salamander – on Facebook after it was found in the Posey County Swamp. 

‘Lesser sirens are one of Indiana’s most peculiar salamanders with their long, eel-like bodies, feathery gills, and only two front legs (no hind legs),’ they said in the video that has been viewed almost 80,000 times. ‘They live in shallow, quiet bodies of water like ditches, ponds, and swamps.’

The Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife posted a video of the lesser siren – or aquatic salamander – on Facebook

It had been found in the Posey County Swamp last week

It had been found in the Posey County Swamp last week

Lesser Sirens can get to about two feet in length, with the one seen in the video coming out to just one foot.   

‘They live in shallow, quiet bodies of water like ditches, ponds, and swamps,’ the Indiana DFW stated.

‘If their aquatic environment dries up, they can survive by retreating into underwater crayfish burrows or burrowing down into the mud and forming a capsule-like protective cocoon around their bodies. After the wetland fills back up with water they emerge and become active.’ 

Lesser Sirens can get to about two feet in length, with the one seen in the video coming out to just one foot

Lesser Sirens can get to about two feet in length, with the one seen in the video coming out to just one foot

The officials shared that the lesser siren does not bite and can be rather difficult to actually hold unto. 

They also made note to distinguish the lesser siren from mudpuppies and axolotl salamanders.

The Indiana DFW shared that it returned the lesser siren to the wetland. 

 

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