A snake with toes? No, creature squirming in Alabama creek is rarely seen ‘congo eel’

A rarely seen creature that looks equal parts snake, fish and lizard was found slithering in an Alabama creek this week, prompting state biologists to step in with an identification.

It’s not a snake, fish or lizard, the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division said in a Facebook post.

It’s known as a “congo eel,” but it’s not an eel, either.

“This rarely-seen two-toed amphiuma ... resembles an eel, but is a salamander,” the division said. “Although it looks entirely aquatic, they come out of the water a little to lay their eggs. How’d you like to encounter that spectacle while bank walking!”

They’re cannibals, too, with a heck of a bite, the state said.

The specimen, which was released, was found in Covington County, near the state’s Florida border, officials said.

Two-toed amphiuma do, in fact, have two toes and the state included a photo of the spiky protrusions to prove it.

The creatures are “notorious for having a vicious (though not at all venomous) bite and should be handled with some respect,” according to the Savannah River ecology Laboratory at the University of Georgia.

It’s believed they grow to nearly four feet in length and are considered the “longest” species of salamander in the country. (The chubby Hellbenders are the biggest salamander, based on weight.) The two-toed amphiuma can be found in southern coastal counties from Louisiana to Virginia, the lab says.

“They are not an endangered species, they’re just very secretive and difficult to ever encounter,” Alabama officials wrote.

They’re eating habits are disgusting, too.

“Anything they can fit in their mouth: snails, crayfish, turtles, tadpoles, frogs, dead animals rotting in the water, each other,” the division said.

This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 4:33 AM with the headline "A snake with toes? No, creature squirming in Alabama creek is rarely seen ‘congo eel’."