Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October–December 2025
Trapping for Waterdogs! by Jeff Hall, State Herpetologist and NC Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Coordinator and Nathan Vaughan, Herpetology Technician
T he Neuse River Waterdog ( Necturus lewisi ) is a large aquatic salamander that is a federally threatened spe- cies. To assess occupancy across drainages in the Tar River, WRC staff focused on surveys for waterdogs using minnow traps. Traps are set, baited with chicken livers, and checked daily for 4 days. These are live-capture traps and do not harm the salamanders. In addition to regular trapping activities, staff collabo- rated with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences to jointly deliver a workshop for teachers called Waterdog Warriors. The group of around 15 teachers accompanied staff into the field and helped check traps, record data, and release ani- mals caught in traps. It was an excellent opportunity for teachers to get up close and personal with a rare salaman- der. In addition to the hands-on experience, the teachers take activities and lesson plans back to their classrooms to share with their students. One particularly exciting capture was in trap #2 at our second site. We had a recapture! We were trapping in the same areas Eric Teitsworth had worked during his NCSU doctoral graduate program, and we were lucky enough to recapture a waterdog he had marked 2 years ago. Eric marked them with Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE), an inert and harmless material injected just below the surface of the skin of the salamander. The VIE is illuminated when a blacklight shines on it. The recapture rate on waterdogs is extremely low, so this recapture was very exciting!
JEFF HALL/NCWRC
Above: NCWRC biologists and volunteers collect data from captured Neuse River Waterdogs. Below: Teacher workshop participants learned about Neuse River Waterdogs before they went to field sites.
JEFF HALL/NCWRC
JEFF HALL/NCWRC
JEFF HALL/NCWRC
JEFF HALL/NCWRC
Neuse River Waterdogs, from left to right, being measured for length, released back where it was captured, and a Visible Implant Elasto- mer illuminated with a blacklight in a recaptured Neuse River Waterdog.
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