Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Animal profile

Ringed Caecilian

Siphonops annulatus

AmphibiaMoist soil and leaf litter in forest and disturbed groundLeast Concern

Field profile

The ringed caecilian is a limbless, burrowing amphibian, typically 25 to 45 centimetres long, dark grey-blue with pale rings marking the body segments. It has minute eyes covered by skin and a pair of retractable chemosensory tentacles on the snout. It lives underground and is rarely seen above the surface.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-08-27

Ringed Caecilian

Ringed caecilian young eat their mother's skin

After hatching, ringed caecilian young feed by peeling and eating the outer layer of their mother's skin, which she grows thickened and nutrient-rich for the purpose. They also take a fluid she secretes from the vent.

Read with evidence →

Ringed Caecilian | Daily Animal Facts