Category: Amphibians
This species of frog is completely aquatic and has no tongue or teeth. They shove food into their mouth and down their throats using their hands, or suck in their food (which can be almost anything) using a hyobranchial pump system. They are common in the ponds and rivers in the south-eastern portion of Sub-Saharan Africa, and are also popular as aquarium pets.
Find more information about the African Clawed Frog at Wikipedia and Reptiles Magazine.
Caecilians: The Limbless Enigma
Caecilians are amphibians with long, limbless bodies that resemble worms or snakes more than frogs or salamanders. Their name means “blind ones,” a reference to their tiny, skin-covered (or in some cases, non-existent) eyes - which probably don’t get much use, as they spend most their lives burrowing underground. Caecilians are unusual for amphibians in that 75% of them give birth to live young, oftentimes, fully formed. There are also a few species where the mother actually grows a layer of nutritious, fatty skin that is eaten off by her own young, which is analogous to breastfeeding in mammals.
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