Photo © 2004 Mike Pingleton. All rights reserved.

Sirens

Sirens, like most salamanders in our area, don't hibernate since they're active as long as their ponds remain full, even when covered with ice. With the rapidly lengthening and warming days of early March they become more active. Tender sentiment and romantic longings arise in their neotenic breasts and males begin cruising for receptive females. When a male encounters his true love his first act is to bite her - usually in the area of the cloaca. At this time of year every mature female exhibits bite marks and scars.

Mating behavior has never been observed in this species but it obviously occurs. Based on the few facts we have, it seems to involve external fertilization - another unique trait reserved almost exclusively to this creature. Females apparently wait for passing males in a depression they construct on the bottom of their pond.

Once the eggs are laid - up to a hundred or more for large females - the female coils about them and guards the eggs against all comers. While Sirens will not eat others of their own kind - even hatchlings - they have an entirely different attitude concerning Siren eggs which would be greedily gobbled up were they not guarded. The female probably remains with the eggs until they hatch - usually within two weeks of laying - and then returns to her burrow to heal up from her ordeal of lovemaking and fatten up in preparation for another bout the following spring.

From our Archive: Sirens

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