Siren intermedia
Description: Sirens are aquatic salamanders with long, narrow bodies that flatten into points at the end. They can be brown, gray, or black in color. Sirens have gills on either side of the head that look like feathers and short front legs with four toes on each foot. They do not have back legs.Size: The lesser siren measures between 7 and 28 inches in length.
Adaptations:
• Although they do have gills, sirens can also breathe by gulping air into their lungs. This helps when the water that they are living in becomes warm and poorly oxygenated. They can also breathe through their moist skin.
• Sirens can survive droughts by going into a stage called aestivation, in which they produce a slime cocoon to live in until the drought is over.
Diet: In the wild, the Lesser Siren hunts for small fish, crayfish, worms, and aquatic insects in the silt and mud at the bottom of lakes. At Cosley Zoo, the sirens are fed earthworms and brine shrimp.
Reproduction: Little is known about the mating process of sirens. It is assumed that sirens have external fertilization, in which the female lays the eggs and the male deposits sperm over them. Eggs are laid in early spring in depressions at the bottom of a body of water. Up to 200 dark brown eggs are laid at one time. The larvae are 1/2” long when they hatch and take approximately 2 years to mature.
Shelter and space needs: The Lesser Siren is entirely aquatic. It is found in streams, ditches and swamps which have slow moving or still water with leaf litter and other debris on the bottom. The siren hunts for food at night, when it is less likely to be seen by predators. During the day, it can be found in the leaf litter and vegetation that it uses for shelter.
Life expectancy: Uncertain.
Importance to man: As predators, sirens play an important role in controlling populations of other animals in freshwater ecosystems.
Fun Facts:
• Sirens eat by suction feeding, using their mouth as a pump to draw food inside.
• Sirens communicate with each other by sounds. They can make both a clicking noise for normal communication and a loud “yelp” if attacked.
• The siren is thought to be named after characters from Greek mythology that were known for their beautiful songs.
• After laying her eggs, the female siren guards them until they hatch to prevent other animals (especially other sirens!) from eating them.