In Sunday’s outdoors story about the ongoing search for northern snakehead fish in Arkansas, I mentioned that conservation officials unearthed a critter known as an “amphiuma.”

Since then, I’ve had several calls and emails from people wondering what the heck an amphiuma is.

Actually, they’re pretty hard to describe.

To me, they seem to be part snake, part eel, part salamander, part fish and part mutant creature from another planet.

Amphiumas are the largest amphibians found in Arkansas.

Sometimes referred to as “Congo eels” or “Congo snakes,” amphiumas have elongated bodies and stubby little legs that don’t serve much purpose on land. They have a snake-like physique and sometimes reach lengths of 3-4 feet. But they’re thicker than snakes, kind of like freshwater eels.

According to Lee Holt, a fisheries biologist with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, they spend most their time walking around on the bottom of lakes and streams. That’s why a lot of people have never seen one. They eat pretty much anything they can catch, including frogs, snakes, fish, crustaceans and insects.

They’re creepy looking critters - and if I came across one while wading, I probably wouldn’t be comforted by the knowledge that they’re completely non-venomous and pose no real threat to humans.

Just in case this description doesn’t paint the picture for you, I’ve included an actual picture of Lee Holt holding the one they found last week near Brinkley, Ark.