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Caecilian

Siphonops brasiliensis 
(synonym: Luetkenotyphlus brasiliensis)


Where is it found?

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Tropical forest

Diet and foraging method

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Picture
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Key adaptations

Caecilians spend most of their lives burrowing underground or in leaf litter, so they have a hard skull, pointed snout and strong muscles to push themselves through the ground. Their sight is limited to light-dark perception, but they have an acute sense of smell and extra sensory tentacles to help them detect prey.

Social organisation and mating system

N/A

Did you know that...?

In some Kenyan species of caecilian, the offspring eat an outer layer of their mother's skin which is high in fat and nutrients!

Taxonomy

Picture

Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Caecilian wynaad1". Licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caecilian_wynaad1.jpg#/media/File:Caecilian_wynaad1.jpg
"Bombay caecilian" by Uajith - Own work. Licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bombay_caecilian.jpg#/media/File:Bombay_caecilian.jpg

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