seen from Romania
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United Kingdom
seen from South Africa
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
seen from Russia
Pale-headed Caecilian (Microcaecilia albiceps), family Siphonopidae, found in the Amazonian lowlands and slopes of the eastern Andes in Colombia and Ecuador.
Caecilians are amphibians, like frogs and salamanders. (They are not worms, nor are they snakes).
Most species are fossorial.
photograph by Paul Freed
Ringed Caecilian (Siphonops annulatus), Dictionnaire Universel D'histoire Naturelle (1892) - Charles Dessalines D’Orbigny
Ringed Caecilian (Siphonops annulatus), family Siphonopidae, found in tropical South America, east of the Andes
IN RECENT NEWS (March, 2024): This species has been found to be the only known amphibian to create a nutrient rich "milk" fromt heir skins to feed the young.
The young go through the larval stage in the eggs, and hatch out as fully formed tiny caecilians.
The young of this species feed on their mother’s outer skin layer (which she sheds), which has a high nutrient content.
Like many caecilians, their skin exudes a thick slime, which aids in burrowing, but also has toxic components (presumably to protect from predation).
Caecilians are amphibians, like salamanders and frogs.
They are not worms, nor are they snakes.
They were also recently found to have venomous components to their saliva, making it the only known amphibian with a venomous bite!
photograph by Carlos Jared
Ringed Caecilian (Siphonops annulatus), family Siphonopidae, found in tropical South America, east of the Andes
The young go through the larval stage in the eggs, and hatch out as fully formed tiny caecilians.
The young of this species feed on their mother's outer skin layer (which she sheds), which has a high nutrient content.
Like many caecilians, their skin exudes a thick slime, which aids in burrowing, but also has toxic components (presumably to protect from predation).
Caecilians are amphibians, like salamanders and frogs.
They are not worms, nor are they snakes.
photographs by Dias, I and Carlos Jared
"Skin-eating" Caecilians (Microcaecilia dermatophaga), family Siphonopidae, French Guiana
The species in this genus are so named, because the young feed on the outer layer of skin of their mother. This does not appear to injure the mother. She regrows the outer layer of skin continuously, as she cares for her offspring.
Caecilians are amphibians, like frogs and salamanders.
photographs via: Wilkinson et al. (2013)
Ringed Caecilian (Siphonops annulatus), family Siphonopidae, Bahia,, Brazil
This animal is an amphibian, like frogs and salamanders.
It is not a snake, nor is it a worm.
This species is fossorial (burrowing).
photograph by Konrad Mebert
Ringed Caecilian (Siphonops annulatus), family Siphonopidae, widely distributed in South America, east of the Andes
photograph by Carlos Jared
