Two-toed eel newt
| Two-toed eel newt | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Two- toed eel newt ( Amphiuma means ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Amphiuma means | ||||||||||||
| Garden in Smith , 1821 |
The two- toed eel newt ( Amphiuma means ) is a species of the eel newt (Amphiumidae). It can reach a maximum body length of over one meter and is common on the eastern and southeastern coast of North America to the Mississippi .
features
The two-toed eel newt, like the three-toed eel newt ( A. tridactylum ), has an average body length of around 35 to 76 centimeters, with record lengths of up to 1.16 meters being documented. This makes it the largest species of eel newts. The newt is elongated; its small legs are each equipped with two toes, which gives the animal its name and which can also be distinguished from the other species in the family. The body color is dark brown to black, with the stomach side also showing this color.
distribution
Its distribution area includes the coastal land that extends from Virginia across Florida to further west to the southern Mississippi River . The distribution area includes all types of water from small and large ponds and floodplains to swamps and lakes to slowly flowing rivers.
Way of life
The two-toed eel newt lives almost exclusively in the aquatic environment and only comes ashore in very wet weather in the area of swamps and floodplains. They often hide in the mud or under detritus and wait for prey such as insects, amphibians, crabs, snakes or smaller fish to swim past.
literature
- Roger Conant, Joseph T. Collins: A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians. Eastern and Central North America. The Peterson Field Guide Series, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston and New York 1998. ISBN 0-395-90452-8 .
Web links
- Amphiuma Means in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Hammerson, 2004. Retrieved on 12 May, 2006.
- Checklist of Amphibian Species and Identification Guide ( Memento February 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed March 13, 2014