Where are Mudpuppies in Michigan?

Mudpuppies live in permanent waters including rivers, perennial streams, ponds, inland lakes, Great Lakes bays and shallows, reservoirs, canals, and ditches.

Are there Mudpuppies in Michigan?

Mudpuppies are not protected in Michigan and can be collected all year round. According to MDNR, mudpuppies are a regulated species in Michigan. They have a closed season from November 15 to May 15 which is when most people catch them while fishing. When you catch a mudpuppy, please put them back.

Are Mudpuppies good eating?

Unlike their amphibian cousins poison dart frogs, mudpuppies are not toxic to touch or eat, though they are quite slimy and unappetizing to most humans.

How do you identify a mudpuppy?

The body has a series of irregular blotches. Small blotches may extend onto the posterior dorsal on the head. The underside is beige or cream to pinkish gray and sometimes may be covered with small bluish black blotches. The head has a dark stripe that extends from the nares though the eyes and ends at the gills.

When is the closed season for mudpuppies in Michigan?

According to MDNR, mudpuppies are a regulated species in Michigan. They have a closed season from November 15 to May 15 which is when most people catch them while fishing. When you catch a mudpuppy, please put them back. Mudpuppies are blind and are not good hunters. Mudpuppies are not blind, but their eyesight is limited.

Are there any mudpuppies that need further protection?

Mudpuppies are abundant and do not need any further protection. Historically, mudpuppies were much more common. Habitat loss, reduced water quality, sensitivity to lampricides, and collection/persecution have significantly reduced this species in Michigan.

What kind of animal is the mudpuppy salamander?

Mudpuppies are Michigan’s largest, fully aquatic salamander. Often referred to as ‘bio-indicators’ because they are sensitive to pollutants and water quality, these salamanders act as an early warning system for environmental problems but are often misunderstood.

What kind of fish is a mudpuppie?

Mudpuppies are a type of fish. Mudpuppies are actually an amphibian and although they have lungs and can gulp air they rely on their feathery red external gills for oxygen. Mudpuppies that are thrown on the ice by anglers will revive in the spring when the ice melts. Unfortunately if a mudpuppy freezes it will die.