The lesser siren is an eel-like aquatic salamander with a long slender body and a very small dorsal fin that runs from the vent to the tail tip. The front legs are extremely reduced and the rear legs are completely absent; each foot has four toes. The head is rather flattened, and bushy external gills are located on each side of the head. The lesser siren varies in coloration from light grayish green to olive or black; there are also small irregular markings (dots) visible on lighter colored individuals.
Ten Facts about Lesser Siren
- Can grow 18-68 cm long.
- Lesser sirens will inhabit most any slow moving and sluggish body of water that is shallow and has abundant aquatic vegetation including marshes, ponds, ditches, and canals.
- The lesser siren feeds primarily on aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans, insect larvae, worms, and snails.
- Eggs are laid in early spring and are deposited in shallow depressions in the soft bottom of the occupied water body, usually in highly vegetated areas.
- In these shallow depressions the female will lay from 12 to over 300 eggs.
- The hatchling larvae are about 1.1 cm in length.
- They founds in Mississippi south to Texas, east around Gulf States, and north to North Carolina.
- Maturity is reached in 3-4 years.
- They suck the prey into their mouths and swallow it whole.
- They emit a series of clicks when they approach others of their species, or a short screeching sound if handled.
