Intermediate Siren
Siren intermedia
An elongated aquatic salamander that is eel-like in appearance. It lacks hind legs, but has 2 small front limbs, just behind the external gills. It has a thick, round bod…
How to identify
An elongated aquatic salamander that is eel-like in appearance. It lacks hind legs, but has 2 small front limbs, just behind the external gills. It has a thick, round body, an elongated, flattened, trapezoid-shaped head, and a laterally compressed tail with narrow dorsal and ventral fins. Its small, rudimentary eyes are set wide apart near the front of the face. It can reach up to 27 inches in length. Juveniles have some patterning on their head, but adults are quite plain.
Range
S. intermedia ranges from the coastal plain from southeastern North Carolina to central Florida, southern Georgia and southern Alabama, USA.
Habitat
Spends most of its time burrowing and foraging in the mucky debris and mud at the bottom of slow-moving bodies of fresh water. It will burrow deep into the mud if the water source dries out, where it can remain for months, even secreting a slimy substance from its skin to protect it from dehydration if the mud becomes dry.
Variations
Juveniles have yellow to red bands on the head and longitudinal stripes down the body. Adults are solid grey, olive, dark brown, or black on the dorsal surface, with some faint speckling around the head. The ventrum is lighter grey, and some individuals have a cream colored streak on the sides of the face or around the mouth.
Similar species
Name and etymology
Intermedia: Latin for in between
At a glance
Size
18 to 69 cm
Range
S. intermedia ranges from the coastal plain from southeastern North Carolina to central Florida, southern Georgia and souther…
Habitat
Spends most of its time burrowing and foraging in the mucky debris and mud at the bottom of slow-moving bodies of fresh water…
Range map
Approximate range. © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap