Legless Amphibians? Meet the Banded Caecilian! - Observation of the Week, 9/12/23

Our Observation of the Week is this Banded Caecilian (Scolecomorphus vittatus), seen in Tanzania by @pius_mollel!

Living and growing up in Tanzania immersed me in some of the most beautiful land,” says Pius Mollel, who’s currently pursing a master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Dar es Salaam. 

Parks, mountains, forests, and rivers are all within a few miles from my home; these places have been literally in my backyard for most of my life. All these made me interested in the outdoors from a young age. The birds, insects, frogs, and other animals always caught my attention.

I am in love with everything in nature from land to sea but specifically am interested in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) and using my knowledge and skills I wish to unlock what resides in biodiversity hotspots in Tanzania - specifically forests in the Eastern Arc Mountains that are well-known for their exceptional biological diversity and high number of endemic species.

Pius led a research team in Tanzania’s Mamiwa Kisara North Forest Reserve this past June, and the group was hit by rain one afternoon. While at the camp site, Pius spotted something moving on the ground.

At first, I thought it was a snake and when I moved closer, I realized it was a caecilian because of its shining skin, I then noticed its coloration (dark brown and pink on the ventral side) and I confirmed it was Scolecomorphus vittatus. They are a hard species to spot because they spend most of their time hiding in soil, but when it rains they normally come out and that is how I got lucky to observe this one. They are also fast-moving and don’t settle when disturbed. This makes them hard to photograph so I was lucky to time that awesome shot.

Caecilians are an order of legless, mostly ground-dwelling amphibians that occur in tropical areas of the world (although not in Australia or the islands north of it). Not much is known about caecilians, but we believe that adults, at least, are carnivorous. Skin secretions of the banded caecilian are apparently toxic to humans. 

Pius (above) discovered iNat in 2021 when looking for plant identification apps in the Google Play Store, but didn’t post anything until last year. 

I use iNaturalist as a platform to share the fascinating flora and fauna found in Tanzania and I find it the right place to communicate my observations because it is a network of scientists and nature enthusiasts. I use iNaturalist as a place where I can connect with other researchers, share findings, and work together on projects related to specific species, regions, or topics of interest.

I see plenty of iNaturalist observations of wildlife, plants, and fungi, which makes me realize everything in nature is important and there is a need to take care of them so that future generations can enjoy these beautiful and fascinating organisms.

(Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.)

- young caecilians have been documented eating extra skin grown by their mother.

- some caecilians eschew land for the water, like these aquatic caecilians at the California Academy of Sciences.

- check out this Observation of the Week from 2017 that features a different legless underground animal seen by @hydaticus.

Posted on September 12, 2023 10:35 PM by tiwane