#proteidae

[herpsandbirds]

Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus), family Proteidae, found in the Mid-South and northern Mid-west of the U.S. and in extreme southern parts of Canada.

This is fully aquatic salamander that retains its gills into adulthood.

photographs: Burke Korol & José Garrido

[snototter]

An olm (Proteus anguinus) in Bosnia and Herzegovina

by Lennart Schmid

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Here's one amphibian that never grows up! Although they can live to be 100 years old, olm are neotenous, meaning they keep features of their larval stage like external gills even after reaching reproductive maturity. So far, researchers have been unable to induce metamorphosis, so the olm's 'adult' stage (if it has one at all) is a complete mystery.

(Image: An olm (Proteus anguinus) by Balázs Lerner and Gergely Balázs

[animalids]

Olm (Proteus anguinus)

Photo by Graham Defries

[herpsandbirds]

Neuse River Waterdog (Necturus lewisi), family Proteidae, found in eastern North Carolina, USA 

Neotenic (retaining aquatic larval traits into adulthood) salamander.

photograph by Kevin Metcalf

[herpsandbirds]

Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus), family Proteidae, Manitoba, Canada

T - adult; B - larva

This is a species of paedomorphic/neotenic salamander, keeping larval aquatic traits (such as gills).

photographs by Owen Edwards

[herpsandbirds]

Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus), family Proteidae, St. Clair River, MI, USA

This is a species of paedomorphic/neotenic salamander, keeping the their larval aquatic traits (gills).

This individual was caught during a fisheries survey, and then released.

photograph by Matt McLean/USFWS

[herpsandbirds]

Olm (Proteus anguinus), family Proteidae, found in central Europe

This aquatic salamander is neotenic/paedomorphic (retaining juvenile traits - ie. gills and other aquatic adaptations)

Found only in karst rock cave systems with ample water in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Hercegovina, and far NW Italy.

Also called the “human fish”, proteus, and white cave salamander.

Olms are blind, but have excellent sense of smell and hearing (for a salamander).

photograph by Sebastian Voitel