Scientists discover new species of giant salamander in Florida, and it looks like an alien

Mike Wehner @MikeWehner
December 6th, 2018 at 12:52 PM
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You’ll find plenty of interesting creatures if you march through a Florida swamp. There’s alligators and crocodiles of course, as well as various species of snakes and other creepy-crawlies, but one animal in particular has eluded scientists for a while. It’s a species of giant salamander that can grow up to two feet in length, and researchers only just now documented its existence.

The salamander, which goes by the scientific name Siren reticulata (meaning “reticulated siren”) is a species of giant salamander that sports a unique leopard-like pattern of spots along its body. With no hind legs at all, its body is more like an eel than anything else, and its massive external gills give its head a frilly appearance.

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