Species Fact Profile: Greater Siren (Siren lacertina)

                                                          Greater Siren

                                           Siren lacertina (Linnaeus, 1766)

Range: Southeastern United States.   Possible presence in northern Mexico.

Habitat: Freshwater Wetlands

Diet:  Aquatic Invertebrates, Small Fish, Algae

Social Grouping:  Solitary

Reproduction:  Mating takes place in late winter and early spring.  Typically migrate into shallower water to lay eggs.  After eggs (up to 500 per clutch) are laid, the male will aggressively guard the nest,  The eggs hatch after two months and are independent at this time.

Lifespan: 25 Years

      Conservation Status:  IUCN Least Concern

• Body length up to 1.5 meters, weigh up to 1 kilogram - one of the largest salamanders in the Western hemisphere.  Hindlimbs are absent, while the forelimbs are very small.  External, branching gills
• Coloration variable, but generally an olive or gray color with small yellow spots along the sides.  Juveniles often have a light stripe along the side which fades as the animal ages
• Almost exclusively aquatic, but have the ability to crawl out of water, sometimes seen on land.  Despite having gills, can also gulp air from the surface.
• Nocturnal, typically spend the day hiding in dense vegetation or under logs
• Surprisingly vocal, able to produce a series of clicks or kelps (may startle potential predators)
• Able to aestivate, sometimes for up to three years, by burrowing into the mud and encasing themselves in a cocoon of dead skin cells
• Predators include large snakes and American alligators.  Primary defensive mechanism is hiding, but will also try to swim to escape or deliver painful bites