Mud Puppy (Necturus maculosus)

The live mud puppy in this photo was on display in our classroom for the past week. It had been caught in Crystal Lake by an ice fisherman and brought to school for us to study and observe. Mud puppies are a species of aquatic salamander that feature external gills throughout every stage of life. In contrast, most species of salamanders begin life underwater with external gills but later go through metamorphosis, transitioning from gills to lungs and emerging from their watery nursery as adults. This mud puppy measured approximately 13 inches long (the record is nineteen inches!). At week's end our Necturus maculosus was released back into Crystal Lake.