The gulf coast waterdog is a salamander that grows up to 8 inches long.  Gulf Coast Waterdog’s have lungs.  They also have blood red gills.  The waterdog has 4 toes on each hind foot and an oar-shaped tail.

 

 They mostly eat crawfish, but also eat isopods, amphipods, freshwater clams, and insects including mayflies, caddis flies, dragonfly naiads, and midges. The predators of the gulf coast waterdog are fish and other waterdogs. 

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The gulf coast waterdog’s habitat is in slow-moving streams with a sandy bottom.  They are found in the lower Mississippi River system in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, in the USA. They are not an endangered species.  It may be harmed by pollution and siltation.  We do not know exactly how many there are in the world.

They mate underwater to make eggs. Then the eggs go to larvae. Last, it becomes an adult through a gradual metamorphosis. This makes a life cycle. They reach adulthood within 4 to 6 years.

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An interesting thing about them is that that they keep their gills as adults, yet have lungs and live their entire life in water. Some other names for the gulf coast waterdog are speckled waterdog and Beyer’s waterdog.

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Author: Bryce G
Published: 02/10

Sources: http://amphibiaweb.org/

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