Dwarf Waterdog

Range

Central to eastern North and South Carolina and Georgia, as well as a small area of southeastern Virginia.

Habitats

Lives in slow-moving freshwater streams or irrigation ditches with muddy or sandy bottoms.

Identification

A small species of aquatic salamander that retains its juvenile features like external gills and tail fins. It is light brown with tan speckles, pink gills, and a pale underside. Its legs are tiny and underdeveloped and it has 4 toes on each foot. It has a lateral black bar across the center of its eye. Distinguished from other members of this family by the lack of any black spots. It has a bluish-white stripe down the midline of its ventrum.

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