Characteristics:

Most adult caecilians resemble earthworms superficially but have vertebrate characteristics such as jaws and teeth. Caecilians are amphibians, not snakes, worms, and not legless lizards. They share a common ancestor with living salamanders and frogs, and still today share many characteristics (skin glands, bone structure, lungs).  They range in size from 7 in. to 4.5 ft most are about 1 ft long. Their bodies are ringed with grooves, which in some species contain small scales imbedded in the skin. There is a groove on either side of the head, each containing a retractable sensory tentacle. The eyes of caecilians look nearly functionless, and some species are eyeless, but they can in fact see. Caecilians are found in swampy places in most tropical parts of the world, but are seldom seen because of their burrowing behavior

Adaptations:

Caecilians don’t have feet, making the smaller species resemble worms, while the larger species with lengths up to 1.5 m resemble snakes. The tail is also very short, so the cloaca is near the end of the body. Their skin is smooth and usually dark, but many species also have colorful skins. Inside the skin are calcite scales. Due to their underground life the eyes are small and covered by skin for protection, which have led to the misconception that they are blind. However due to the skin cover their visual sense is limited to simple dark-light perception. All Caecilians share two tentacles at their head, which are used in addition to the normal sense of smell based in the nose. Caecilians have lungs, but also use the skin or the mouth for oxygen absorption. Often the left lung is much smaller than the right one, an adaptation to body shape also found in snakes.

Habitat:

Caecilians are found in most of the tropic areas of South-East Asia, Africa and South America, except the dry areas and the high mountains. In South America their distribution extends well into the temperate north of Argentina. It is likely Caecilians are found all over the tropical rainforest of central Africa, but no detailed search has been documented. They live in underground burrows up to five feet deep in the ground, which is where they spend the majority of their lives. Caecilians are solitary animals that live on their own.

Diet and food Gathering:

They eat small invertebrates such as termites and earthworms. They capture their prey with their powerful recurved teeth, masticate, and swallow. Aquatic caecilians, prey on fishes, eels, and aquatic invertebrates.

Reproduction:

They have some fascinating natural history: fertilization is usually internal, and the young have specialized teeth which allow them to feed off of the walls of their mother's uterus before being born. Caecilians are the only order of amphibians which only use internal insemination. About 25% of the species are oviparous (egg-laying); the eggs are guarded by the female. For some species the young Caecilians have already metamorphosed when they hatch, others hatch as larvae. The larvae aren't fully aquatic, but spend the daytime in the soil near the water. 75% of the species are viviparous, meaning that they give birth to already developed offspring.

A day in the life:

Caecilians are rarely observed in their natural habitat, therefore there is not much information on what caecilians do. they bury themselves in the mud, and very few caecilians can be viewed in captivity.

Current issues:

Since glimpses of caecilians are so rare, there are not many known issues with the animal. Although they are hard to find, they are not endangered. In fact caecilians hold up pretty well against pollution, and their habitats are rarely destroyed. One of the only environmental issues the caecilian has to worry about is insecticides, because many insecticides will kill the animal. (www.open.ac.uk/daptf/froglog/FROGLOG-42-1.html)