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Thanks to  Lantern Bearer reply, now I know what the strange fish that I posted few days ago.. Here’s more info about this strange looking fish. The Mudpuppies or Waterdogs are a family of aquatic salamanders. The mudpuppy family, proteidae, is divided into two genera - Necturus with six North American species, and Proteus with one European species. They represent an ancient group, dating from the time of the dinosaurs.

Mud puppies are aquatic salamanders that spend most of their time on the bottoms of lakes and rivers. They are found in southern Canada and in the eastern United States.

In contrast to more familiar amphibians such as frogs, mudpuppies never lose their gills during maturation from the tadpole into the adult stage– beneficial since they will spend their entire lives underwater. The adult gills resemble fish gills in many ways, but differ from fish gills in that they are external and lack any form or operculum or covering. The bright red exposed gills can be ‘flapped’ to increase water circulation during low oxygen tension conditions. Mudpuppies also absorb oxygen through their skin and by occasionally breathing air at the surface.

Mudpuppies prefer shallow lakes and streams but have been found in hundreds of feet of water. The mudpuppy’s diet consists of crayfish, snails, insect larvae, worms and small fish. Mudpuppies mature at four to six years and can live to be more than twenty years old. Progenesis is common for mudpuppies, enabling them to reach sexual maturity in their larval state.

Even though they will eat fish eggs, negative effects on fish populations have not been documented. Because mudpuppies eat off the bottom, fishermen will occasionally catch a mudpuppy if they are fishing off the bottom.

To distinguish between a mudpuppy and an immature salamander, note that mudpuppies tend to be much larger. The main difference between a mudpuppy and a siren is that sirens have only a pair of small (in comparison) front legs, whereas mudpuppies have both front and back legs.

This is another strange looking amphibian, called the Red Salamander. Although most salamanders have drab colors, some, such as this red salamander, have bright colors that set them apart from their surroundings. This species of salamander lives near brooks and springs in central to eastern North America.

Below is the Japanese Giant Salamander..One of the largest denizens of Japanese streams is this giant salamander, Andrias japonicus, which grows to about 2 meters (about 5 feet) long and weighs up to 40 kilograms (88 pounds). It preys on crustaceans, fish, and other amphibians and is distinguished by its loose, wrinkly skin. Unlike most other salamanders, it never leaves the water. The female lays eggs in a long string, which the male guards after he has fertilized each egg. They hatch in two to three months. The young, or larvae, take three years to mature. The Japanese giant salamander is found on Kyūshū and western Honshū islands. It is occasionally caught and eaten by humans.

Source : Wikipedia , MSN Encarta

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