Ringed caecilian

Siphonops annulatus

Size: 28–45 cm · 30–90 g
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Sociality: Solitary
Lifespan: 5–13 years

The ringed caecilian is a limbless amphibian that lives underground in South America. Ring-like folds divide the body, giving it an earthworm-like appearance.

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Key facts

Ringed caecilian (Siphonops annulatus) is a carnivore animal classified as Amphibian · Gymnophiona · Siphonopidae.
Primary habitats are forest, with a range across Neotropical.
Activity is nocturnal, sociality is solitary, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
The ringed caecilian is a limbless amphibian that lives underground in South America.
It inhabits moist Neotropical forest, grassland, and farmland soils, as well as deep leaf litter.
Typical lifespan: 5–13 years

Sources

wikidata.org

Range

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It inhabits moist Neotropical forest, grassland, and farmland soils, as well as deep leaf litter. It avoids drying conditions and tunnels through soft, damp ground.

Appearance

Length is 28-45 cm and weight 30-90 g. The body is long, cylindrical, and limbless, with circular grooves, tiny eyes, and sensory tentacles on the head.

Behavior

Nocturnal and solitary, it spends most of its life below ground. After rain or on humid nights it may move close to the surface.

Feeding

A carnivore, it eats earthworms, termites, insect larvae, and other small soil animals. It pushes through soil with the head and bites prey at close range.

Reproduction

Eggs are laid in moist soil, where the female coils around them. Hatchlings are known to feed for a time on the mother's nutrient-rich skin.

Notes

It is listed as Least Concern. Though rarely seen, it depends on moist soils and healthy leaf-litter layers.