Wild Fact #973 – A Breath of Fresh Air – Mudpuppy
If humans lived underwater, would a mudpuppy be man’s best friend? This is a philosophical question of course (as well, it helped me open up today’s post). That’s right animal fans, today’s fact is about the aquatic salamander also known as the mudpuppy. As many of you may know, the mudpuppy is a type of salamander which prefers to live in shallow lakes or streams. They may go unnoticed since they love hiding under rocks. I know I didn’t get to see them often growing up in Northern Ontario but believe me, they were there.
By this point, you are hopefully wondering what is so dog-gone interesting about this little underwater puppy? Well, I will give you a hint, it has to do with the way the mudpuppy breathes. You see, there are three different ways that the aquatic salamander is able to take in oxygen to survive. The primary source is through the brightly coloured external gills. The mudpuppy is one of the select few salamander species to retain its gills in adult form. This method of breathing is of course similar to fish. If the mudpuppy feels like mixing it up a little, they can also take in oxygen through their skin. Yep, that’s right! They can absorb oxygen right through their skin. Finally, if the mudpuppy really wants to, it can actually go to the surface and use it’s lungs to take in a nice deep breath of fresh air. As you can tell, suffocating these little creatures would be extremely difficult!
Mudpuppy Fast Fact: Mudpuppies received their name since it was believed they were capable of making sounds similar to a dog’s bark. This turned out to be false, however, the name stuck.
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September 29th, 2009 at 3:32 AM
Ahhh…this bring back memories. We used to go swimming in Sturgeon Falls when we were kids and before diving into the water we had to wait for these wonderful little creatures. Gary B. and Bev do you remember?
Thanks for the memories Nathan….as usual excellent work!
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September 29th, 2009 at 6:01 AM
Very interesting Nathan. Why is it that this particular salamander retained gills?
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Nathan Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 7:25 AM
The mudpuppy most likely retained its gills due to the amount of time they spend underwater. Not all salamanders spend their entire adult life in the water like these little guys do. In that regard the gills make sense, so the question becomes, why did they retain their lungs??
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September 29th, 2009 at 9:22 AM
I want to be able to breathe three different ways – it’d be a great solution to the common cold’s annoying side effect of stuffy noses. =) I love your posts – it’s a great way to learn something new every day with a fun twist =)
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Nathan Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 4:54 PM
I never thought of that Samantha! Having alternative breathing methods would be handy this time of year. Thanks for reading and the nice compliments!
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September 29th, 2009 at 12:39 PM
Another well written post. Sorry but I am new here and I am wondering, what will happen when you reach the 1000th fact?
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Nathan Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 4:53 PM
Hi Josh and welcome to Wild Facts. I really appreciate you checking out the site. You have asked a very good question. I am not too sure what happens once 1000 Wild Facts have been provided. I am hoping that Wild Facts will expand and change over the next three years (which is how long it should take to get to a 1000). Hopefully something will happen. I would love to hear about any ideas!
Thanks again for reading!
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September 29th, 2009 at 3:47 PM
It does bring back memories. Unfortunately, they don’t make very good pets, especially when your Mom isn’t keen on them. Are these little guys amphibians?
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Nathan Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 4:51 PM
You tried keeping Mudpuppies as pets? Glad this post was able to bring back some memories. Yes, these little guys are indeed amphibians!
Thanks for reading!
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