Added 5 March 2005.

A Brief Look
at the

Sirenidae

Introduction

Sirens are only found in the USA. They are completely aquatic, with lungs and external gills, and lack rear legs. The small front legs are located very close to the gills, and the body is long and eel-like and covered in thick mucus. This mucus assists in aestivation, should the siren find itself in a body of water that is rapidly drying out: the mucus hardens and forms a cocoon around the animal with just an opening for the mouth. In this state it can last for several months.

One of the mysteries of siren biology, at least up to the 1990s, has been their mode of reproduction. Males lack the normal glands used to make spermatophores and females the receptacles used for spermatophore storage, so it has been assumed that fertilisation is external.

Sirens appear to be kept fairly infrequently by hobbyists, and I cannot recall having any seen in public zoological gardens either. Although S. lacertina is quite large, the other species would not appear to present many problems. Indiviglio recommends a shallow aquarium for sirens so that they can rise to the surface for air without having to swim: some cover in the form of branches and aquatic plants would also seem to be a good idea. See Indiviglio for more details.

Genus Common Name No. of species Distribution Notes
Pseudobranchus Dwarf Sirens  2 USA  
Siren Sirens  2 USA  

Bibliography - Sirenidae

There seems to be no one single work (at least outside academic circles) dealing with the family Sirenidae in its entirety. However, there is information both in print and on the Internet on the individual species and genera, both natural history and captive husbandry, but less than for many of the other Caudata families.

A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, R Conant and J T Collins, Peterson Field Guides, Houghton Mifflin, Boston/New York 1998. Gives details of the Sirenidae.

Newts & Salamanders - a complete pet owner's manual, Frank Indiviglio, Barrons 1997. Gives details of care for the sirens.

Links

Index of newt- and salamander-related articles from herpetological magazines.

Tree of Life has a useful entry on the Family Sirenidae, including the anatomical characteristics.

AmphibiaWeb is a useful source for species lists and has information on some if not most of the species.

LivingUnderworld.org has some pictures of the Sirenidae.

Amphibian Conservation Alliance also has useful information on the species.

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