By THOMAS FLOYD

Hellbender surveys this summer turned up a welcomed surprise: one of the state's few sightings of common mudpuppies.

Although the big freshwater salamanders also known as waterdogs range from New York to the Great Lakes and from southern Canada to the rivers of northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, common mudpuppies are abundant in only parts of that realm. And in Georgia, they are rare.

The mid-August capture and release of three mudpuppies near Blairsville marked only the third time that Necturus maculosus has been documented in the state. (The previous sightings were near Ringgold in 1987 and McCaysville in 2010.)

While mudpuppies are found alongside eastern hellbenders throughout much of the hellbender's range, it's unclear why mudpuppies are so elusive or simply absent in many streams in western North Carolina and Georgia.

Since 2011, DNR surveys have recorded nearly 900 hellbenders across the Tennessee River drainage in north Georgia. But during that same time, and in what is the state's presumed distribution of mudpuppies, only three waterdogs have been seen.

MUDPUPPY LOVE

• Some say the mudpuppy's squeaking or squealing noises sound like a dog's bark, leading to the canine common names for this salamander.
• Mudpuppies can grow over a foot long and live 20-plus years - all of it spent in the water.
• Even as adults, they keep their larval characteristics, including the feathery, rose-colored gills on the back of their head. The size of the gills depends on the oxygen content in the water.
• Mudpuppies prowl rivers, lakes and other fresh waters at night, scarfing up any aquatic animals they can swallow, from snails to crayfish. They'll also eat carrion. In turn, they are prey for larger animals, such as snakes and fish.
• These amphibians are harmless. They also pose no threat to fish populations.
• Mudpuppies have sensitive skin and, like hellbenders, can be indicators of water quality.
• Anglers who hook one should release it unharmed. Please also report mudpuppy sightings to DNR.

Thomas Floyd is a wildlife biologist with Georgia DNR's Wildlife Conservation Section. This article first appeared in the agency's Georgia Wild e-newsletter.

Top: Mudpuppy found near Blairsville mugs for the camera (Tyler Troxel/DNR)