Mud Puppy

an animal of the salamander kind. The body is formed like that of a salamander save that it is two or three inches in diameter and is about a foot long. Feet and head are those of a salamander. The peculiarity of the animal is its gills. These are of a dark red color and wave like branching coral at each shoulder entirely outside of the gill openings. They are retained through life. The mud puppy is an inhabitant of the muddy lakes and rivers of the upper Mississippi Valley. It lives on snails, insects, and worms. Once in a while a mud puppy takes a bait intended for a fish and is brought to the surface. Otherwise it may be said to cling close to the mud.