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Animal profile

Common Mudpuppy

Necturus maculosus

AmphibiaLakes, rivers and streams with rocky or debris-strewn bottomsLeast Concern

Field profile

The mudpuppy is a large, fully aquatic salamander around 20 to 33 centimetres long with conspicuous maroon external gills retained for life. It is active year-round, including under ice, and hides beneath rocks and logs by day. It is one of the few salamanders anglers regularly encounter on winter lines.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-02-17

Common Mudpuppy

A mudpuppy's gills grow to match its water

Mudpuppies keep external gills for life, and the gills are not a fixed shape. In warm, still, oxygen-poor water they are large and bushy; in cold, fast, well-oxygenated water the same animal carries markedly smaller ones.

Read with evidence →

Common Mudpuppy | Daily Animal Facts