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Amphiuma

 
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Amphiuma
 
 
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Amphiuma is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of aquatic salamander
Salamander

Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by slender bodies, short noses, and long tails....
s, the only extant genus within the family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 Amphiumidae. They are also known to fisherman as "conger eel
Conger eel

"Conger" or "conger eel" is a vernacular term used for a number of different species of fish, mostly eels of the family Congridae, and especially the genus Conger....
s" or "congo snakes", which are zoologically
Zoology

Zoology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of animals. The most common pronunciation of "zoology" is ; however, an alternative pronunciation is ....
 incorrect designations. Amphiumas have one of the largest amounts of DNA
DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetics instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses....
 in the living world, around 25 times more than a human.

iumas have an elongated body, generally grey
Grey

Grey or gray describes the tints and shades ranging from black to white. These, including white and black, are known as achromatic colors or neutral colors....
-black
Black

Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflection light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light....
 in color.






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Encyclopedia


Amphiuma is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of aquatic salamander
Salamander

Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by slender bodies, short noses, and long tails....
s, the only extant genus within the family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 Amphiumidae. They are also known to fisherman as "conger eel
Conger eel

"Conger" or "conger eel" is a vernacular term used for a number of different species of fish, mostly eels of the family Congridae, and especially the genus Conger....
s" or "congo snakes", which are zoologically
Zoology

Zoology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of animals. The most common pronunciation of "zoology" is ; however, an alternative pronunciation is ....
 incorrect designations. Amphiumas have one of the largest amounts of DNA
DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetics instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses....
 in the living world, around 25 times more than a human.

Description

Amphiumas have an elongated body, generally grey
Grey

Grey or gray describes the tints and shades ranging from black to white. These, including white and black, are known as achromatic colors or neutral colors....
-black
Black

Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflection light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light....
 in color. They do have legs, but they are very small - while amphiumas can be up to long, their legs measure only up to about . Therefore, they can resemble eel
Eel

True eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 Family s, 110 genera and approximately 600 species. Most eels are predators....
s. They also lack eyelids or a tongue.

Female amphiumas lay their eggs in wet mud, and then remain coiled around them for about five months, until they hatch. The larvae have external gills, but after about four months these external gills disappear and the lungs begin to work. One pair of gill slits, with fully functioning internal gills, is retained and never disappears, so the metamorphosis remains incomplete.

Distribution

Amphiumas inhabit the southeastern part of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. They share much of the same distribution with the sirens
Siren (amphibian)

The Sirenidae, or sirens, are a family of aquatic salamanders. Family members have very small fore limbs, and lack hind limbs altogether....
, although they are not closely related.

In the past amphiumas have been further distributed. Fossils from the Pleistocene
Pleistocene

The Pleistocene is the epoch from 1.8 million to 10,000 years Before Present covering the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
 epoch show that they once were distributed in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 as well.

Behavior

During the day amphiumas hide in vegetation, and at night they become active and go hunting. Their prey include frog
Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . The name frog derives from Old English language frogga, , cognate with Sanskrit plava , probably deriving from Proto-Indo-European language praw = "to jump"....
s, snake
Snake

Snakes are elongate legless carnivore reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears....
s, fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
, crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s, insect
Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
s and even other amphiumas. But if provoked they can become aggressive. They can be found in most wetlands in the coastal plain of the southeastern U.S., even ones which periodically dry, as they are able to aestivate in the moist mud below drained marshland and other ephemeral
Ephemeral

Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....
 wetlands. Amphiuma are rarely encountered on land, but it is possible.

Species

There are three amphiuma species, distinguished by the number of toes:
  • Three-toed Amphiuma
    Amphiuma tridactylum

    The Three-toed Amphiuma is a species of aquatic salamander native to the Southeastern United States United States....
     (Amphiuma tridactylum)
  • Two-toed Amphiuma
    Two-toed Amphiuma

    The two-toed amphiuma is a snake-like salamander found chiefly in the southeastern United States. It is commonly, but incorrectly, called "congo snake", "conger eel" or the "blind eel"....
     (Amphiuma means)
  • One-toed Amphiuma
    Amphiuma pholeter

    The One-toed Amphiuma is an Aquatic animal, eel-like salamander native to the southeastern United States. It was unknown to science until 1950, when it was collected by herpetologist W....
     (Amphiuma pholeter)


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