▪︎ (Typhlonectes natans) Rubber Eel 'incorrectly called' in Aquatic Caecilians Family (Typhlonectidae) found in Colombia, Venezuela & possibly Trinidad & Tobago.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland & rivers.
It is commonly kept as an aquarium pet & is sometimes sold as a 'fish' in aquarium stores.
They grow to 45-55 centimetres in length. They are dark grey to black in color. While it can & occasionally does breathe air at surface, most of its respiration takes place through its skin.
Species is ovoviviparous, giving birth to young in water. Gestation period lasts about 220 days. 3-7 live, fully developed young are born, which after only one year reach almost half size of an adult 25 centimetres.
🦧 Caecilians
Caecilians (New Latin for 'blind ones') are a group of Limbless, Vermiform (worm-shaped) or Serpentine (snake-shaped) Amphibians (🐸...yes that one) with small or sometimes nonexistent Eyes. They mostly live hidden in soil or in streambeds & this cryptic lifestyle renders Caecilians among least familiar Amphibians.
Modern Caecilians live in tropics of South & Central America, Africa & southern Asia.
Feed on small subterranean creatures such as Earthworms.
Body is cylindrical & often darkly coloured & skull is bullet-shaped & strongly built. Heads have several unique adaptations, including fused Cranial & Jaw Bones, a two-part system of jaw muscles & a Chemosensory Tentacle in front of Eye. Skin is slimy & bears ringlike markings or grooves & may contain scales.
Modern Caecilians are a Clade ☆ Order Gymnophiona (212) - Caecilians one of three living amphibian groups alongside ☆ Order Anura (7,104) - Toads, Frogs & ☆ Order Caudata (738) - Salamanders.
Gymnophiona derives from gymnos for 'naked' + ophis for 'snake', as caecilians were originally thought to be related to snakes & to lack scales.
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♧ Kingdom Animalia
◇ Phylum Chordata
○ Subphylum Vertebrata
□ Infraphylum Gnathostomata
■ Parvphylum Osteichthyes
♡ Megaclass Tetrapoda
♤ Class Amphibia - Amphibians 🐸
♤ Class Aves - Birds 🐦
♤ Class Mammalia - Mammals 🐯
♤ Class Not assigned
☆ Order Crocodylia - Crocodilians 🐊
☆ Order Rhynchocephalia - Tuatara
☆ Order Squamata - Scaled Reptiles - Lizards & Snakes 🦎🐍
☆ Order Testudines - Turtles 🐢
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♤ Class Amphibia (8,054) - Amphibians 🐸
☆ Order Anura (7,104) - Toads, Frogs
☆ Order Caudata (738) - Salamanders
☆ Order Gymnophiona (212) - Caecilians
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☆ Order Gymnophiona (212), 32 Genera - Caecilians
•¹ Family Caeciliidae (43), 2 - Caecilians
•² Family Chikilidae (4), 1
•³ Family Dermophiidae (14), 4
•⁴ Family Herpelidae (10), 2
•⁵ Family Ichthyophiidae (57), 2 - Asiatic Tailed Caecilians
•⁶ Family Indotyphlidae (24), 7
•⁷ Family Rhinatrematidae (13), 2 - Neotropical Tailed Caecilians
•⁸ Family Scolecomorphidae (6), 2 - African Caecilians
•⁹ Family Siphonopidae (27), 5
•¹⁰ Family Typhlonectidae (14), 5 - Aquatic Caecilians
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•¹⁰ Family Typhlonectidae (14), 5 - Aquatic Caecilians
▪︎ Genus Atretochoana (1) - Eiselt's Caecilian
▪︎ Genus Chthonerpeton (9) - Peters' Caecilians
▪︎ Genus Nectocaecilia (1) - Upper Amazon Caecilians
▪︎ Genus Potamotyphlus (1)
▪︎ Genus Typhlonectes (2) - Aquatic Caecilians
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