Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia)


Group	Salamanders
Code	AAAAG02010
Order	Caudata
Family	Sirenidae
Author	Barnes, 1826
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	P (definitions)
Scale	C (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	none
Eastern UP	none
Northern LP	none
Southern LP	Van Buren, Allegan

Rule:

Mixed Forested/Nonforested or Nonforested Landscapes

      Lake
      or Pond
      or River

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Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	no	no	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	no	no	no	no	no	-
Oak	no	no	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hemlock	no	no	no	no	no	no
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Tamarack	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	Lake, Pond, River
Special Features	none

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Literature:

Harding, J. H. and J. A. Holman. 1992. Michigan frogs, toads, and salamanders a field guide and pocket reference. Co-operative Extension Service, Michigan State University. 144 pp.

Lesser sirens inhabit shallow, weedy ponds, lakes and lake inlets, ditches, and sluggish streams. They are largely nocturnal, spending daylight hours buried in bottom debris or concealed in aquatic vegetation. If their environment dries up, they can survive by entering crayfish burrows or by burrowing into the mud and forming a protective cocoon out of body secretions. The also move overland.

In spring a female siren deposits about 200 eggs in a shallow depression in the bottom mud. The larvae are about .43 inch (1.1 cm) long at hatching and mature in two to three years.

Sirens eat insect larvae, crustaceans, worms, and small snails. Although salamanders are usually considered silent creatures, lesser sirens reportedly make several types of sounds. These include clicking sound produced underwater and various whistles or yelping sounds given when disturbed or captured.