Mudpuppy

Fascinating facts about the Mudpuppy

• Mudpuppies can stretch to a length longer than a school ruler. They usually reach an average total length of 13 in (330 mm) and grow to about 33 cm (13 in) as adults, but rare specimens have been measured at 43.5 cm (17.1 in). Their external gills look like ostrich plumes and expand dramatically in low-oxygen water, shrinking in oxygen-rich streams. This size flexibility lets them thrive from shallow ponds to deep lakes, adjusting respiration to whatever water quality they encounter.
• Mudpuppies stay forever juvenile because their gills ignore the hormone that usually forces metamorphosis. Unlike axolotls, mudpuppies produce normal thyroid hormones (THs), yet the external gill tissue no longer responds to them. Scientists think the gills have lost TH regulation over evolutionary time, keeping the salamander in a permanent larval state.
• Mudpuppies wait six years before they can even lay eggs, then they guard a clutch. A mature female can lay an average of 60 eggs, though counts range from 20 to 200, each about 5-6 mm in diameter. After laying, the mother stays with the clutch for roughly 40 days until the embryos hatch.
• Mudpuppies occupy more freshwater territory than any other fully aquatic salamander in North America, spanning from southern Canada down to Georgia and across the Midwest to North Carolina. Though they favor shallow water up to 1 m deep, they have also been documented at depths of about 30 m. exploit a wide range of habitats, from weed-choked ponds to deep lake basins.
• Mudpuppies eat almost anything that fits their tiny conical teeth, switching menus with the seasons. In summer and fall their stomachs hold only invertebrates, but come spring and winter they add fish to the mix. They capture prey by a rapid "suck and gape" motion, pulling food into the mouth while the teeth lock it in place.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Mudpuppy

In the dark, mysterious depths of North America's freshwater lakes and rivers, the mudpuppy glides effortlessly, its feathery gills undulating as it navigates the murky waters with an almost ethereal grace. With eyes that shine like lanterns in the dark, this enigmatic creature moves through the aquatic world with a slow, deliberate pace, its slender body weaving in and out of the shadows as it searches for unsuspecting prey. As it swims, the mudpuppy's webbed feet propel it forward, leaving behind a trail of faint ripples that betray the presence of this elusive, nocturnal hunter.

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