Caecilians

Caecilians look like worms but are actually amphibians that inhabit the wet tropical regions of south America, Africa and south east Asia. They make up one of the three orders of amphibians, alongside frogs and salamanders. Lacking any limbs but possessing a retractable sensory tentacle, caecilians - with the exception of a few aquatic species - have a burrowing lifestyle. The skin of one African species is fat and nutrient-rich, so the larvae peel this skin off the parent and eat it.

Did you know?
In one caecilian species a mother grows a new skin every three days as it is eaten by her larvae.


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