Family Friday, Uncategorized

Caecilians (Gymnophiona)

photo by Leandro J.C.L. Moraes, Alexandre P. de Almeida, Rafael de Fraga, Rommel R. Zamora, Renata M. Pirani, Ariane A.A. Silva, Vinícius T. de Carvalho, Marcelo Gordo, Fernanda P. Werneck. – https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/20288/, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64703938

That’s not a worm, its a caecilian! Caecilians are amphibians just like frogs and salamanders but they lack limb all four limbs. There are part of the order Gymnophiona. Most people aren’t familiar with them because they live underground for most of their lives. They are found in Central America, South America, Asia, and Africa.

There are 10 different families of caecilians with over 200 species. Sadly, much is not known about caecilians.

Typhlonectidae – Aquatic Caecilians

Cayenne Caecilian (Typhlonectes compressicauda)

Ichthyophiidae – Asiatic Tailed Caecilians

Banna Caecilian (Ichthyophis bannanicus)

Scolecomorphidae – African Caecilians

Chikilidae – Indian Caecilians

Caeciliidae

Dermophiidae

Mexican Caecilian (Dermophis mexicanus)
Gaboon Caecilian (Geotrypetes seraphini)
Varagua Caecilian (Gymnopis multiplicata)

Herpelidae

Taita African Caecilian (Boulengerula taitana)

Indotyphlidae

Rhinatrematidae

Siphonopidae

Ringed Caecilian (Siphonops annulatus)

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