Two-toed amphiuma

Amphiuma means

The two-toed amphiuma is a snake-like salamander found chiefly in the southeastern United States. It is commonly, but incorrectly, called "congo snake", "conger eel" or the "blind eel". One of the largest extant species of amphibians in the world, they can grow from 39 to 1,042 g in mass and from 34.8 to 116 cm in length. They have four vestigial legs that end in two or three toes which are virtually useless, and eyes with lids. they are blue-black in color. They feed on small fish, crawfish, insect larvae, and even small snakes; they are harmless to humans when left alone, but when disturbed, they can deliver a tough bite, which may lead to a severe infection. Unlike other salamanders, which are mute, ''A. means'' gives a clear whistle when disturbed.
Two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means)  Amphibian,Amphiuma,Amphiuma means,Amphiumidae,Animal,Asheboro,Caudata,Geotagged,Nature,North Carolina,North Carolina Zoo,Salamander,Two-toed Amphiuma,Two-toed amphiuma,United States,United States of America,Vertebrate,Winter,Zoo

Behavior

Two-toed amphiumas are nocturnal, and are often difficult to handle because of their slippery skins. They may leave water temporarily if weather is wet enough and they dig burrows in muddy bottoms, or may invade the burrows of other aquatic creatures. Amphiumas breed from June to July in North Carolina and northern Florida. Females lay about 200 eggs in a damp cavity beneath debris, and they remain coiled around them during incubation . Hatchlings are about 2.125 in long with light-colored gills soon lost after hatching.

Habitat

Amphiumas live in stagnant waters of swamps, bayous, and commonly drainage ditches. Their range is from southeastern Virginia's, Florida's, south Louisiana, and East Texas.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Least concern | Trend: Unknown
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyAmphiumidae
GenusAmphiuma
SpeciesA. means