The western waterdog (Necturus beyeri ) is a species of aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States, where it occurs in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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starts withAdults are 6 to 8.5 inches (15 to 22 cm) in length. It is brown with light brown and black speckles. It exhibits neoteny, retaining its gills and larva-like tail into adulthood. It can be distinguished from N. moleri and N. mounti (formerly thought to be conspecific) by its comparatively larger size, heavier spotting, and the unstriped larvae with numerous white spots.
This species lives in streams with sandy bottoms. It remains on the substrate or burrows into it, sometimes hiding in debris.
Individuals of both sexes move more during the colder months of the year and seem to use one site as a home area from which they occasionally exhibit long-distance movements.
The female attaches its eggs to aquatic debris.
