Escambia Waterdog

Range

Necturus mounti is found in Alabama and Floridia. Specifically, they can be found in Escambia, Blackwater, Perdido and Yellow River drainages.

Habitats

Escambia Waterdogs are salamanders that live in slow streams with submerged leaf litter piles. They can be captured by various methods that target the leaf litter habitat. Adults migrate to leaf litter, while juveniles remain there until they mature. The breeding season of Escambia Waterdogs is in winter (November – January). The male deposits a spermatophore that the female picks up with her cloaca. The female keeps the eggs inside her uterus until she lays them in spring (April or May) in leaf litter nests. The larvae hatch and stay in leaf litter until they grow up in 4 - 6 years. The diet of Escambia Waterdogs consists of aquatic insects and crustaceans. They may face predation from fishes, snakes, and crabs.

Identification

Necturus mounti keeps its external gills even as an adult and has four strong legs with four toes on each back leg. It usually has seventeen grooves along its sides (sometimes 16 or 17). It can grow up to 116 mm long for males and 110 mm long for females, with males being about 13.6 mm longer on average. The snout-vent length is 108.4 mm for males and 94.8 mm for females on average. Males have a swollen cloaca with finger-like projections and spurs on both sides of the cloacal opening when they are ready to mate.

Learn more with Schechter Natural History's Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians