Lesser Siren

Scientific Name: Siren intermedia

Photo Credit: Kevin Stohlgren 

The lesser siren is a slender, eel-like aquatic salamander with reduced front limbs, no hind limbs, and four toes on each foot. It lives in shallow, slow-moving waters with abundant vegetation, such as ponds, marshes, ditches, and canals. While it typically requires permanent or semi-permanent water, it can survive droughts by encasing itself in a slime cocoon or traveling short distances over land. This species ranges throughout the southeastern U.S., from Virginia to Florida and west to Louisiana, reaching as far north as western Tennessee and Kentucky.

Explore the full species profile, including their habitat, diet, and behavior on Herps of NC.