Eiselt's Caecilian

## About

An Eiselt's caecilian lying coiled on the forest floor.

Eiselt's caecilian ***(Atretochoana eiselti)*** (pronounced SUS-SILIAN) is an extremely enigmatic species of amphibian belonging to the order gymnophiona. The species was originally first encountered by Sir Graham Hales and Sir Brian Doll whilst on an expedition in the Brazilian rainforest in the late 1800's. The caecilian was not sighted since this first encounter, until it was discovered during the construction of a Brazilian hydroelectric dam in 2011 and before this the species was only known from two preserved individuals gathered from the 1800's expedition. The Eiselt's caecilian shares an appearance similar to earthworms. They have pink or light brown smooth and damp skin which wrinkles and creases as the animal's body coils or bends. Caecilians in general have been labeled for their phallic appearances and the Eiselt's caecilian is often labeled as the 'penis snake' for its resemblance to the human male intromittent organ of the same name. The face in elongated, having a stout and protruding snout which is tipped with sealed nostrils. The eyes are small and dark, sometimes not being apparent at first inspection and so, caecilians are blind. No caecilians possess any limbs, locomoting by use of crawling or slithering sluggishly however, in aquatic environments they move much more naturally and fluently. At one point during the late 1940's, the species was considered to be the same species as the Cayenne caecilian ***(Typhlonectes compressicauda)***. The Eiselt's caecilian is the largest known tetrapod to lack lungs, growing up to 72.5cm (28.5in).

## Diet

Almost nothing is known about the diet of the Eiselt's caecilian however, gathering from the diets of other species, they are likely omnivorous. Eiselt's caecilian likely consume a variety of plant matter, most prolifically detritus (the plant equivalent of carrion). They likely also consume invertebrates and insects, termites in particular.

## Conservation Status

The species is listed as data deficient due to its seldom-documentation and so, little is known about the Eiselt's caecilian's threats.

## Range and Population

The Eiselt's caecilian inhabits areas of Brazil however, one specimen was gathered from an unspecified location in South America. The species is a semi-aquatic amphibian and so favours areas of inland wetlands, swamps and riverine ecosystems, typically located in dense rainforests, including the Amazon. Eiselt's caecilians likely inhabit fast-flowing, well-oxygenated rivers, which are typically cold. The population of the species is unknown due to its elusiveness however, it is likely small, as the species is known only from a select few individuals, including the two 1800's preserved specimens and the 2011 live individual. The species may even be extinct.

## Behaviour

Eiselt's caecilians are likely oviparous, laying eggs. The male and female perform sexual intercourse in a strange manner, where the male inserts its intromittent organ known as the phallodeum into the female's cloaca. This may last 2-3 hours. Gymnophionans are the only amphibian order known to exclusively internally inseminate, which is the act where a sperm and egg unite in the womb. It is unknown how the young appear when first born, as some caecilian species are born fully metamorphosed , whereas others are born in a larval state, however, Eiselt's caecilians likely classify as the former, as do 75% of all caecilian species. Regardless, the eggs are guarded by the female.

### Relationship with Humans

Though in modern history, the Eiselt's caecilian interacts with humans on a limited basis, in the past, the amphibians were much more known. A ginormous caecilian-like creature known as the Minhocão was said to have terrorised the Padre Aranda and Feia lakes. It was first accounted by French naturalist Augustin-Saint Hilaire (1779-1853) who named the cryptid after the Portuguese word *'minhoca'*, meaning earthworm. He claimed that the monstrous amphibian would 'drag horses and horned cattle under the water' and that it did not surface, catching its prey by the underside. in 1849, an accounted sighting of a dead Minhocão claimed the species had; "skin as thick as the bark of a pine tree, and formed of hard scales like those of an armadillo." Due to accounts claiming that the Minhocão made the earth shake and caused thunderous noises while moving, it has been proposed that the obviously fantastical creature, was fabricated to explain seismic activity in Brazil.

## In Captivity

No Eiselt's caecilians exist in captivity.

## Sources

* IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/59493/11937533
* Atretochoana | Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atretochoana
* Caecilian | Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caecilian
* Minhocão | Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minhoc%C3%A3o\_(legendary\_creature)