Range : Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and Southern Mexico to Argentina
Habitat : Rivers, streams, and wet, tropical regions in soil and ground litter, fossorial, burrowing
Morphology : Limbless with either short or no tails, and all have a pair of tentacles between eyes and nostrils. Their segmented appearance comes from the many ring-shaped folds (annuli) that circle the body. As an anti-predatory defense, toxins are secreted through glands found in the smooth skin. In some species, calcite scales are also found inside the skin. Their adaptations for a burrowing lifestyle include a strong skull that has reduced and fused bones in some with the mouth below the head. Their sight can only distinguish between dark and light through the small, skin-covered eyes. Respiration is done by either the skin or lungs.
Ecology :The diet of caecilians are mostly insects and other invertebrates, but possibly some vertebrates as well. All reproduce by internal fertilization where the males insert an organ called the phallodeum into the female's cloaca for around 2-3 hours. Most species are viviparous while some are oviparous. The young may either be born as miniature adults already metamorphosed, while some are born as semi-aquatic larvae also depending on the species.
Conservation Issues: One species, the Sagalla caecilian, is listed as critically endangered.