Caecilians are tropical amphibians that look like large worms or slick snakes. They have no arms or legs, and sometimes it’s hard to tell which end is the head and which is the tail! Their shiny skin is ringed with skin folds called annuli. They usually come in shades of gray, brown, black, orange, or yellow. Find out more!

Ranging from Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and southern Mexico to Argentina, these unusual creatures prefer loose soil and leaf litter in tropical forests or near rivers and streams. They may look soft on the outside, but inside a caecilian’s mouth are dozens of needle-sharp teeth.

The teeth can grab worms, termites, beetle pupae, mollusks, small snakes, frogs, lizards, and even other caecilians! All food is swallowed whole. Caecilians have toxic glands in their skin that sometimes protect them from being eaten by other animals.

Like salamanders, caecilians produce young in two different ways, depending on the species. Some female caecilian species lay eggs in damp holes near water. When the larvae hatch, they have gills and a short, finned tail to help them swim in the water as they feed on plankton.

Through a series of changes, a single lung replaces their gills. Their skin becomes thicker, the annuli develop, and sensory tentacles appear. At this point, the newly developed adult moves to the land and goes underground. Some species give birth to live young that are fully developed inside the mother before they are born.