lesser siren
siren intermedia latin

The lesser siren is quite common through most of its range, but rarely seen due to its secretive nature.

As they died, the lesser sirens of fire engines could be heard, and the clangor of bells.

The lesser siren is nocturnal, spending its days hidden in the debris and mud at the bottom of slow-moving bodies of water.

The lesser siren (Siren intermedia) is a species of aquatic salamander native to the eastern United States and northern Mexico.

The lesser siren is vocal, unlike most salamanders, and will emit a series of clicks when it approaches others of its species, or a short screeching sound if handled.

If the habitat dries up during the summer, lesser sirens are capable of excreting a substance from their skin which protects them from dehydrating, and enables them to stay buried in dry mud for months until the water returns.

The lesser siren is found in the United States, primarily from Virginia to Florida, and west to Texas (ranging into northeastern Mexico as far as Veracruz), and north to Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.