Object Status:
Unlocated
Accession Date:
May 26, 1791
Primary Source Reference:
Dunlap's American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 26 May 1791
Additional Source Text:
Also listed in the General Advertiser (Philadelphia), 26 May 1791; Independent Gazetteer (Philadelphia), 28 May 1791; Osborne's New-Hampshire Spy, 8 Jun 1791; and Maryland Gazette (Annapolis), 9 June 1791
Notes:
Peale was interested in mud iguanas, or sirens, beause they seemed to possess hybrid features, having lungs like reptiles and gills like fish. The greater siren (Siren lacertina) is an eel-like amphibian and one of the three members of the genus <em>Siren</em>. The largest of the sirens and one of the largest amphibians in North America, the greater siren resides in the coastal plains of the southeastern United States.
For the other specimens of this animal acquired by the Peale Museum, search "Siren."
Benjamin Smith Barton (1766-1815) was an American botanist, naturalist, and physician. He was a member of the American Philosophical Society and a visitor of the Peale Museum.
Peale's Common Name:
Syren
Current Common Name:
Salamander
Current Scientific Name
Siren lacertina
