Species Fact Profile: Two-Toed Amphiuma

                                                           Two-Toed Amphiuma                                                                                                                 Amphiuma means (Garden in Smith, 1821)

Range: Southeastern United States, from southeastern Virginia to Texas

Habitat:  Freshwater Wetlands, Lakes, Wet Prairies.  Prefer shallow, heavily vegetated bodies of water

Diet: Small Fish, Tadpoles, Crustaceans, Insects, Frogs, Salamanders, Small Reptiles

Social Grouping: Solitary

Reproduction: Breed in early-to-mid summer, takes place in the water.  Females lay strings of up to 200 eggs in a cavity near the water, coil around the eggs for the 5 month incubation period to prevent desiccation.   Eggs may hatch either into a larval stage with exterior gills or into direct adults, without exterior gills

Lifespan: 15-25 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern

•       Largest of the amphiumas, and longest (but not largest) salamander in North America.  Body length 35-116 centimeters, weigh up to 1050 grams.  At first glance appear to be legless, but actually have four vestigial legs, each ending in two toes (the number of toes is used to distinguish this species from the closely related one-toed and three-toed amphiumas).  Head is pointed with small eyes and a single gill slit on each side
•       Body is black, dark gray, or dark brown in color, lighter color on the ventral surface.  Skin is extremely slippery
•       Primarily nocturnal and aquatic, digging burrows in muddy stream bottoms or hiding in submerged rocks and logs.  If the surrounding land is wet enough, they may crawl out of the water.  Survive droughts by burying into the mud or into the burrows of other species, such as crayfish.  
•       Specimens in colder parts of their range may hibernate, while those in more tropical parts, like the Everglades, will be active year round
•       Prey is detected by smell.  May hunt actively, or lie in ambush under debris and strike when prey passes by
•       Generally shy and inoffensive, but capable of inflicting a painful bite if disturbed, especially if defending the nest
•       Predators include snakes (especially mud and rainbow snakes), raptorial birds, cranes, otters, and alligators.  Species may practice cannibalism
•       One of the only salamanders capable of vocalizations, giving a whistle when disturbed or making clicking sounds of variable frequencies to communicate with other amphiumas
•       Locally they are often known as Congo snakes, Congo eels, conger eels, or blind snakes