Amphiuma (Congo Eel) (Preserved)

Amphiuma is a genus of aquatic salamanders, the only genus within the family Amphiumidae. They are also known as “congo eels” or “congo snakes”, which are zoologically incorrect designations.

Amphiumas have an elongated body, generally grey-black in color. They do have legs, but they are very small, while amphiumas can be up to 1 m long, but their legs measure only 2 cm. Therefore, they can resemble eels.

Larvae have external gills. After four months these external gills disappear and the lungs begin to work. One pair of gill slits is retained and never disappears, so the metamorphosis remains incomplete.