Aquatic caecilian

At the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoo is home to two aquatic caecilians. Unlike most caecilians, the aquatic caecilian spends its life underwater, breathing mostly through its skin and only coming to the surface occasionally to breathe through its lungs. It lives in a densely vegetated habitat with clean water that is not exposed to high sunlight. Although the aquatic caecilian is technically nocturnal, it can be seen active during daytime hours. The aquatic caecilian has a sensor – a small tentacle – on its nose, which it uses to feel its surroundings and can be seen “rooting” with its nose in plants and gravel, searching for food. It tends to rest at the top of the water. The aquatic caecilian can be seen in the award-winning National Amphibian Conservation Center – a leader in amphibian conservation and research – which houses a spectacular diversity of frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians.

Description
Native to Columbia and Venezuela, aquatic caecilians may not look like typical amphibians due to their lack of limbs. Instead, they have rings of skin folds around their body giving them a look similar to earthworms. They have smooth and slimy skin, typically dark gray, and small eyes. Larvae are live-born, as aquatic caecilians do not lay eggs.