BioKIDS home

Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species

Local animals in this group:

Sirens

Sirenidae

There are four species of sirens, all found in the southern United States and northern Mexico. Sirens are fully aquatic, with external gills and streamlined bodies. They have no hind limbs. Siren species can be relatively small to large, from 10 to 90 centimeters long. They live in shallow, slow-moving waters and eat invertebrates that they suck into their mouths. Sirens are considered the most primitive group of salamanders still living.

Contributors

Tanya Dewey (author), Animal Diversity Web.

 
University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyNational Science Foundation

BioKIDS home  |  Questions?  |  Animal Diversity Web  |  Cybertracker Tools

Dewey, T. . "Sirenidae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 19, 2024 at http://www.biokids.umich.edu/accounts/Sirenidae/

BioKIDS is sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative. It is a partnership of the University of Michigan School of Education, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, and the Detroit Public Schools. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL-0628151.
Copyright © 2002-2024, The Regents of the University of Michigan. All rights reserved.

University of Michigan