Three-toed Amphiuma vs. Western Lesser Siren

Both are long, eel-like salamanders of swamps, sloughs and ditches in the Gulf lowlands and the Red River country of far southeastern Oklahoma (records share many squares in Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas). A: Four tiny legs, front AND hind, each with three toes in the Three-toed Amphiuma; only two small front legs; no hind legs in the Western Lesser Siren. B: No outside gills: only a small slit on each side of the neck in the Three-toed Amphiuma; bushy outside gills behind the head in the Western Lesser Siren. Amphiumas grow much larger (to 2.5 ft or more) and bite hard.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• Three-toed Amphiuma vs. Red River Mudpuppy
• Two-toed Amphiuma vs. Three-toed Amphiuma
• One-toed Amphiuma vs. Three-toed Amphiuma
• Common Mudpuppy vs. Western Lesser Siren
• Red River Mudpuppy vs. Western Lesser Siren
• Two-toed Amphiuma vs. Western Lesser Siren
• One-toed Amphiuma vs. Western Lesser Siren

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