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Cold
weather and near-freezing water temperatures stimulate Neuse River
waterdogs to find mates. These aquatic salamanders hide under rocks
and
in holes during warm weather, when predatory fish are active. Cool Links: Neuse River Waterdog fact sheet - PDF from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Neuse River Waterdog on eNature.com - Information from the National Wildlife Federation's online nature resouce back to Nature Notebook photo left: Ray
Ashton; photo right: Ken Taylor, NC Wildlife |
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A species
of special concern in North Carolina, the seven- to ten-inch amphibians
live only in the Neuse and Tar River basins. Why do they live in such
a restricted range? Museum researchers discovered that Neuse River
waterdogs have a different number
of chromosomes from other waterdogs, and are biochemically different.
Because of their sensitivity to low oxygen and polluted waters, they’re
found in relatively clean, flowing streams that don’t dry up
during droughts.