Caecilians: not worms or snakes, but amphibians that look like them
I made a comment in the blue earthworm post about how one of the photos in the article reminded me of a little-known amphibian called a Caecilian. From this picture, you may noticed that they do look like worms (or snakes depending on the size.) They may also be mistaken as eels when swimming.
Quoted from the Wikipedia entry:
Caecilians completely lack limbs, making the smaller species resemble worms, while the larger species with lengths up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) resemble snakes. The tail is short or absent, and the cloaca is near the end of the body.
Their skin is smooth and usually dark-matte, but some species have colorful skins. Inside the skin are calcite scales. Because of these scales, the caecilians were once thought to be related to the fossil Stegocephalia, but they are now believed to be a secondary development, and the two groups are most likely unrelated. The skin also has numerous ring-shaped folds, or annuli, that partially encircle the body, giving them a segmented appearance. Like other living amphibians, the skin contains glands that secrete a toxin to discourage predators. The skin secretions of Siphonops paulensis have been shown to have hemolytic properties.
Caecilians' vision is limited to dark-light perception and their anatomy is highly adapted for a burrowing lifestyle. They have a strong skull, with a pointed snout used to force their way through soil or mud. In most species, the number of bones in the skull are reduced and fused together, and the mouth is recessed under the head. Their muscles are adapted to pushing their way through the ground, with the skeleton and deep muscles acting as a piston inside the skin and outer muscles. This allows the animal to anchor its hind end in position, and force the head forwards, and then pull the rest of the body up to reach it in waves. In water or very loose mud, caecilians instead swim in an eel-like fashion. Caecilians in the family Typhlonectidae are aquatic as well as being the largest of their kind. The representatives of this family have a fleshy fin running along the rear section of their body, which enhances propulsion in water.
All but the most primitive caecilians have two sets of muscles for closing the jaw, compared with the single pair found in other creatures. These are more highly developed in the most efficient burrowers among the caecilians, and appear to help keep the skull and jaw rigid.
Owing to their underground life, the eyes are small and covered by skin for protection, which has led to the misconception that they are blind. This is not strictly true, although their sight is limited to simple dark-light perception. All caecilians possess a pair of tentacles, located between their eyes and nostrils. These are probably used for a second olfactory capability, in addition to the normal sense of smell based in the nose.
While searching for some more caecilian articles, I just came across this video of one giving birth at the Tennessee Aquarium. My goodness, the baby caecilian looked like it was a wedding veil, which are their gills BTW. (Warning: There's a bit where the Surinam Toads tried to eat it, but fortunately baby caecilians taste REALLY bad.)
Quoted from the Wikipedia entry:
Caecilians completely lack limbs, making the smaller species resemble worms, while the larger species with lengths up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) resemble snakes. The tail is short or absent, and the cloaca is near the end of the body.
Their skin is smooth and usually dark-matte, but some species have colorful skins. Inside the skin are calcite scales. Because of these scales, the caecilians were once thought to be related to the fossil Stegocephalia, but they are now believed to be a secondary development, and the two groups are most likely unrelated. The skin also has numerous ring-shaped folds, or annuli, that partially encircle the body, giving them a segmented appearance. Like other living amphibians, the skin contains glands that secrete a toxin to discourage predators. The skin secretions of Siphonops paulensis have been shown to have hemolytic properties.
Caecilians' vision is limited to dark-light perception and their anatomy is highly adapted for a burrowing lifestyle. They have a strong skull, with a pointed snout used to force their way through soil or mud. In most species, the number of bones in the skull are reduced and fused together, and the mouth is recessed under the head. Their muscles are adapted to pushing their way through the ground, with the skeleton and deep muscles acting as a piston inside the skin and outer muscles. This allows the animal to anchor its hind end in position, and force the head forwards, and then pull the rest of the body up to reach it in waves. In water or very loose mud, caecilians instead swim in an eel-like fashion. Caecilians in the family Typhlonectidae are aquatic as well as being the largest of their kind. The representatives of this family have a fleshy fin running along the rear section of their body, which enhances propulsion in water.
All but the most primitive caecilians have two sets of muscles for closing the jaw, compared with the single pair found in other creatures. These are more highly developed in the most efficient burrowers among the caecilians, and appear to help keep the skull and jaw rigid.
Owing to their underground life, the eyes are small and covered by skin for protection, which has led to the misconception that they are blind. This is not strictly true, although their sight is limited to simple dark-light perception. All caecilians possess a pair of tentacles, located between their eyes and nostrils. These are probably used for a second olfactory capability, in addition to the normal sense of smell based in the nose.
While searching for some more caecilian articles, I just came across this video of one giving birth at the Tennessee Aquarium. My goodness, the baby caecilian looked like it was a wedding veil, which are their gills BTW. (Warning: There's a bit where the Surinam Toads tried to eat it, but fortunately baby caecilians taste REALLY bad.)