Lifecycle: Mudpuppies are considered neotenic as their adult stage greatly resembles their larval stage. Both stages have a flat paddle-like tail and large feathery gills used to absorb oxygen directly from the water. Larval mudpuppies are smaller and have two light stripes extending from their head down to their tail, in contrast, adults are uniformly grey or beige, often with dark spots. This acts as camouflage to blend in with the rocky bottom of lakes and rivers. During the summer, mudpuppies occupy the bottom of lakes where the water is always cold, their preferred temperature. Come winter, these nocturnal salamanders will migrate up rivers in search of prey. To adapt to the cold temperatures, mudpuppies have extra sets of DNA, each set causing the mudpuppy to produce different temperature-adjusting enzymes, allowing it to adapt internally to a wide temperature range.
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Ecology: The common mudpuppy has an interesting relationship with the salamander mussel (Simpsonaias ambigua). Many freshwater mussels go through a larval stage where the larva, also called glochidium, cling to the gills or fins of fish and are moved to new areas of the river or lake. The salamander mussel however, is the only freshwater mussel known that does not parasitize fish but instead clings onto mudpuppies. A rather small species of bivalve, the salamander mussel is considered Endangered in Canada, restricted to only a few rivers in southern Ontario. Here, they are threatened by agricultural run off, including chemicals and silt which can destroy important habitats for both the mussel and its salamander host. Zebra mussels also pose a threat as they can cling onto the salamander mussel's shell and interfere with its ability to breath.
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Anecdotal: Heading towards the canoes, we spotted a large female water snake swimming to shore. Someone called out that she had a fish in her mouth but as the snake got closer, it became clear that the creature in its mouth had a leg and a paddle-like tail. Climbing onto the rocky shore, the red gills of a mudpuppy were visible. Red feathery gills that had collapsed to a red globular mass when out of the water. The large salamander twisted and turned in a futile attempt to escape, the snake held on tight by the base of the mudpuppy’s tail. She carried the salamander into some bushes where they continued to fight, the salamander squirming as the water snake wrapped her body around to get a better grip. The snake began to swallow the mudpuppy tail first, inching her way closer to the head. The snake would convulse every so often as the mudpuppy thrashed inside her. Soon, only the head of the mudpuppy remained to be seen and the capillaries from the gills had burst from pressure. Even after being swallowed, the mudpuppy still twitched inside, each movement becoming weaker as it succumbs to the snake’s digestive juices.
Sources:
"Mudpuppy." Ontario Nature, 2021, ontarionature.org/programs/community-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/mudpuppy/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2021. "Salamander Mussel." Ontario, Government of Ontario, 12 Aug. 2021, www.ontario.ca/page/salamander-mussel. Accessed 3 Dec. 2021. "What's Barking Under the Ice?" Adopt a Pond, Toronto Zoo, 23 Jan. 2015, adoptapond.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/whats-barking-under-the-ice/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2021. |