Two-toed Amphiuma
Amphiuma means

Appearance: Amphiumas are long, slender, aquatic salamanders closely resembling eels in physical appearance, and many of the colloquial names for these amphibians are indicative of this fact (e.g. congo eel, ditch eel). The two-toed amphiuma has two toes on each of four greatly reduced limbs.  Adults are air-breathing but retain gill slits, one on each side of the neck.  Coloration is gray or brown dorsally, with a slightly lighter shade ventrally.  This is a very large salamander that occasionally reaches lengths of 1 m. (greater than 3 ft.).

Habits and Habitat: Habitats include ponds, ditches, swamps, and slowly flowing creeks and rivers. Water bodies with soft, muddy bottoms and with heavy vegetation are generally preferred because they provide refugia for these burrowing species.  Two-toed Amphiumas forage nocturnally and apparently remain hidden in burrows (sometimes greater than three feet deep) during the day.  Amphiumas are occasionally caught on land on rainy nights, presumably as they are moving from water body to water body.  Prey include a variety of aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates.

Reproduction/Egg Description: Very little is known about the reproductive behavior of this species. Two-toed Amphiumas are winter breeders throughout most of their range, and females are known to deposit eggs in constructed nest burrows.  Females attend their nests until hatching has occurred, sometimes six months after deposition. Eggs are laid in a piled or coiled strand.

Distribution and Abundance: Two-toed Amphiumas inhabit the Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia south to Florida and west to eastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi.  Little is known about the status of this secretive amphibian, although it is presumed that the extensive loss of aquatic habitats in the southeastern United States has probably extirpated numerous populations.

SE ARMI Index Sites: Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Everglades National Park.