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Encyclopedia / Frogs & Newts / Lesser siren
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Lesser siren

Siren intermedia · Siren, Eel salamander, Two-legged eel

Predatory and nocturnal; will eat tankmates.

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35 cmAdult size ✓
UnknownTemperature ?
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Lesser siren should be kept without other species.
Not recommended
  • Lesser siren should be kept without other species.
Not recommended
  • Lesser siren should be kept without other species.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ✓Can live alone
Temperament ?Semi-aggressive
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ?Hard
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 20–30 cm
Growth Slow

Behavior

Predatory and nocturnal; will eat tankmates. Keep alone.

Check your local laws. US: genus Siren (including this native species) is listed as injurious under the Lacey Act (Bsal rule): no import into the US and no shipment between US jurisdictions without a permit. The Rio Grande form (texana) is state-threatened in Texas; other states regulate collection. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.

Food

Earthworms, shrimp and thawed fish.

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Male or female

Males are on average about 14% larger than females and have enlarged jaw (masseter) muscles, so their heads look bigger.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-layer ·

Rarely bred in captivity (one documented success, Reinhard, Voitel & Kupfer 2013). Breeds roughly November-May; the male defends a nest cavity, the female lays eggs in it, and the male guards and aerates the eggs; larvae develop in about 35 days.

Pairing

Not practical.

Setup

Large shallow tank with plants.

What starts it

Unknown.

Eggs

About 12-300 eggs per clutch, possibly several clutches a year; hatchlings about 1.1 cm.

Raising the fry

Larvae need tiny live foods.

Common mistakes
  • Fish tankmates
  • Poor water
  • Wild-caught stock
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionEastern and central USA and northeastern Mexico
Rivers and lakesMississippi valley and Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains
HabitatSwamps, ponds and slow streams
Native rangeAbout 1,500 km across
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The story of the lesser siren

An eel-like aquatic salamander with only two small front legs and external gills. When its pond dries it burrows into the mud and makes a mucus cocoon, surviving for weeks to more than a year.

Daniel Barnes described the lesser siren in 1826. It is an eel-like salamander with only front legs. It can survive drought by forming a mucus cocoon in mud.

First described by Daniel H. Barnes in 1826.

  • It has front legs but no hind legs.
  • It keeps external gills for life.
  • It can survive drought in a mucus cocoon.

Sources

12 facts checked with sources