I caught this guy in my pond spillway with my bare hands on Thursday. They are pretty hard to hold onto. He was 15" in length.

wacky,but kinda cool too

Is that the chest-burster or the face-hugger mode?

like this bad boy?

Yep. Xenomorph.

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Does that Siren class as a salamander?

The Lesser Siren is nocturnal, spending its days hidden in the debris and mud at the bottom of slow moving bodies of water. They feed primarily on aquatic invertebrates, including various kinds of worms, snails, and crustaceans. They will also eat the tadpoles and eggs of other amphibians.

Reproduction occurs in the spring months, with eggs being laid in a shallow depression at the bottom of a calm area of water. Usually surrounded by vegetation. Though little is known about their courtship, it is believed to be quite violent, as many specimens collected have scarring from healed bite marks from other sirens. 12-300 eggs are laid at a time, and several clutches may be laid over the course of the year. Hatchlings are only about 0.4 of an inch (1.1 cm) in length, but grow quickly. Maturity is reached in 3-4 years.

The Lesser Siren is vocal, unlike most salamanders, and will emit a series of clicks when they approach others of their species, or a short screeching sound if handled.

If the habitat dries up during the summer months, Lesser Sirens are capable of excreting a substance from their skin which protects them from dehydrating, and enables them to stay buried in dry mud for months until the water returns. Their small legs enable them to move on dry land for short periods of time.

Wikipedia®

Nice catch FT. Wish I had some in my ponds.
Thanks for the brush-up too!
Before my sons stocked my upper pond it was full of a salamander with gills. They were evidently still there just in smaller numbers as they returned after the pond was drained & refilled.

We used to call those "mud puppies". They are harmless and almost cute. They seem to be pretty scarce here in Louisiana, as I have only seen 1 or 2. Maybe they are just hard to spot because they're nocturnal.

Here in Cajun country, we have plentiful "mud eels" (They are in the order amphiumidae). I have seen them nearly 30" long. They are very strong and quick, and have powerful jaws. After poking one with a stick and seeing how hard they bite, I keep a respectful distance. The locals believe they prey on crawfish by burrowing down into their holes. The red and black mud snake in turn burrows down into the mud eel's holes and feeds on them. All that burrowing makes me a little nervous about my levees, but I think I'm safe with over 12' thick.

Edit: Found a picture. Not a pretty sight. http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/enlarged.asp?imageID=19335

That looks like what we call water dogs. Ours are in the 6" to 8" range. Use them for LMB bait, the LMB attack them with intent to kill.

I believe what we have are newts.
Mudpuppies or waterdogs are found in streams around here though.

When I was a kid visiting my grandparents in Catawba, NC, we used to catch good numbers of salamanders running about 2-3" long in shallow pools in a local branch and put them on set-hooks for catfish in a nearby creek. It was almost as much fun to catch the spring lizards and helgramite larvae for bait as the catfish.
Lou

Good gawd Family...all I can say is if you grabbed hold of that thing, especially in murky water, without knowing exactly what it was...you're much better man than I am.

I remember heronblu. Some of the best memories are of catching salamenders, crawfish & helgamites with my grandfather!
You're right but I believe it was as much fun!!

Matt, I'm crazy but not stupid. First thing I did was rubber boot stomp it (thought it was a snake). That's when it lifted it's head out of the water and I knew what the heck it was. The water was pretty cold so he was sluggish and easy to catch. He did get awful wiggly on the way back to the house as my hands warmed him back up to his fighting temp.

Well, that's better then, FT...I understand the rubber boot stomp, specially if you thought it was a snake. My wife expects me to do the same...

If you don't change your wicked stomping ways, I will have my 4 and 7 year old daughters call you up crying about why you would hurt a salamander LOL. They love it when I bring one home. I can't quite get them to like snakes as much as I do though. My wife on the other hand would applaud you.

Nothing to fear, he seemed fine and was happy to get back in the water after the photo session.