Amphiuma

Amphiuma is a genus of aquatic salamanders.  They are the only genus still living in the family Amphiumidae. They are sometimes called "conger eels" or "congo snakes", which is not correct. Amphiumas have one of the largest amounts of DNA in the living world, around 25 times more than a human."Junk DNA and the Onion Test" 1 June 2008.

 Description 
Amphiumas have a long body.  They are generally grey-black in color. They do have legs but they are very small. Amphiumas can be up to  long, their legs are only up to about . It is because of this that they are often mistaken for eels or snakes. They also do not have eyelids or a tongue. 

Female amphiumas lay their eggs in wet mud.  They then stay coiled around them for about five months, until they hatch. The larvae have external gills. After about four months these external gills disappear and the lungs begin to work. 

 Distribution 
Amphiumas live in the southeastern part of the United States. 

In the past they have lived in more areas. Fossils from the Pleistocene time show that they once lived in Europe.

 Behavior 
During the day amphiumas hide in plants.  At night they become active and go hunting. Their prey include frogs, snakes, fish, crustaceans, insects and even other amphiumas. Hunting and eating habits are similar to that of the Axolotl.  They suck food into their stomachs with vacuum force. They can become aggressive. 

 Species 
There are three amphiuma species.  They are different because of the number of toes:
Three-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma tridactylum)
Two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means)
One-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma pholeter)

 References

Other websites
 Tree of Life: Amphiumidae
 amphiumas.org

Category:Salamanders