More than 220 species of limbless, worm- or snake-shaped amphibians with small eyes or none, living hidden in soil or streambeds. They sense their surroundings with small tentacles between the eyes and nostrils. Most are small, but Caecilia thompsoni reaches 1.5 m.
Quick answers
What is it?Amphibian
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Most come to the surface at night.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inSouth America, Africa, Asia, Central America
ColoursGrey, Purple, Black
SizeSmall
LengthMostly small; Caecilia thompsoni up to 1.5 m
LegsNone
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for10–20 years
Can swim
Lays eggsSome species
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Wet tropics of South and Central America, East and West Africa, India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
- What it eats
- Small underground animals such as earthworms.
Did you know
A limbless burrowing amphibian, and some species let their young eat their skin.
In some species the mother grows a fat-rich outer skin that her young peel off and eat every three days.
About 75% of species give birth to live young, and before birth the young scrape cells from the mother’s oviduct with special teeth.
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