Common mudpuppy

The common mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) is a species of salamander in the genus Necturus.[2] They live an entirely aquatic lifestyle in the eastern part of North America in lakes, rivers, and ponds. They go through paedomorphosis and retain their external gills,[3] thus resembling axolotls. Because skin and lung respiration alone is not sufficient for gas exchange, mudpuppies must rely on external gills as their primary means of gas exchange.[4] They are usually a rusty brown color[5]and can grow to an average length of 33 cm (13 in).[6] Mudpuppies are nocturnal creatures, and only come out during the day if the water in which they live is murky.[2] Their diets consist of almost anything they can get in their mouths, including insects, earthworms, mollusks, and annelids.[5] Once a female mudpuppy reaches sexual maturity, at six years of age, she can lay an average of 60 eggs.[5] In the wild, the average lifespan of a mudpuppy is 11 years.[7] Because of their prevalence and larger size than other salamanders, mudpuppies are good organisms for dissections.[6]
Category:Animals
Category:Creatures