The third amphiuma

Which amphibian is so slender and attenuate that it looks like a hefty nightcrawler, has two tiny eyes, four legs that are so short and slender that they are easily overlooked, and only one toe on each foot?

If you guessed that it is an amphiuma, you were right on target.

It is the third and least known of the amphiuma species, a foot long nocturnal caudatan, the one-toed amphiuma, Amphiuma pholeter, that lives out its life in deep beds of soupy mud of slurry-like consistency. Although it was described in 1964, it has been only for the last two decades that this taxon has become known to many.

Many of its habitats are on posted private land or in state parks that require permits carry on a search. Found in Florida's Big Bend counties, the Florida panhandle, extreme southwestern Georgia, southern Alabama, and southeastern Mississippi, the one-toed amphiuma is a Gulf Coast specialty and one that I am always happy to see.

The legs of this attenuate salamander are so small that they are difficult to see. Amphiuma pholeter: a facial aspect.

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.