GREATER SIREN

Siren lacertina 

IDENTIFICATION:  The greater siren is an aquatic salamander.  It has been known to reach a little over 3 feet.  It is usually gray or olive green with yellow flecks on the sides.  It only has front legs, with 4 toes on each foot.  The gills are very large and reddish brown in color.

RANGE AND HABITAT:  The greater siren is found throughout all of Florida and in a wide band along the southeastern coast from Alabama to Virginia.  They prefer to live in freshwater ponds, rivers, and canals.

REPRODUCTION:  Very little is known about their breeding habits.  Scientists are fairly certain that they breed in late winter and lay their eggs in shallow muddy areas.  The young are light brown with a yellow stripe running the length of both sides.

DIET:  Sirens are nocturnal hunters that search for food in the bottom muck and submerged vegetation.  They eat a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates that they suck into their mouths.

FUTURE:  Very little is known about the number of wild sirens.  Amphibians are    very sensitive to environmental change and pollution so they are probably having a difficult time with the increasing Florida population.