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Mudpuppies are the biggest members of the salamander family and one of the most bizarre creatures in North America. Most creatures feed more in warm weather, eager to store fat for the winter when they are less active. But The mudpuppy does the opposite. It remains dormant in the summer, hiding under rocks or logs, buried in the mud, or moving slowly through rivers and creeks. They hardly feed during the warmer weather and it is then that they rely on the fat stores that they have built up in winter.This cold water feeding behavior works to their advantage as the animals that they prey on are far less mobile and cannot easily escape. Mudpuppies have a substance in their bodies that prevents them from freezing. This allows them to be active in water that is close to, or below the point of freezing. During frigid cold in North America, these animals can be found hunting at night in almost all moving water, or water that is deep enough to avoid freezing.