Amphibians · Gymnophiona · Dermophiidae

Mexican Caecilian

Dermophis mexicanus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Mexican caecilian, known in Spanish as tapalcúa or tepelcúa, is a species of gymnophionan amphibian of the family Dermophiidae. It is endemic to southern Mexico and Central America: it lives in El Salvador, in southern and eastern Guatemala, in north-western and southern Honduras and in western Nicaragua. Possibly also in Belize. It lives in burrows in damp, loose soil and feeds on earthworms, termites, orthopterans and others. Although it can be locally abundant, it is at risk from the loss of its habitat.

Size

30 cm – 60 cm

Lifespan

13 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestTemperate forestCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Rainforest Temperate forest

7countries 10parks

Fun facts

Its gestation lasts close to eleven months, one of the longest of any amphibian, and the young are born measuring almost a third of their mother's length.
It digs with its head: the skull is heavily ossified and compact, and it uses it as a battering ram to force its way through damp soil, closing its mouth underneath so as not to swallow earth.
Its eyes are covered by bone and skin and can only tell light from dark; it finds its way with the retractable chemosensory tentacles on its face.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Damp soils of forest, coffee plantations and other plantations of Mexico and Central America
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 11 months of gestation
Litter / clutch size: 6 live young

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermophis_mexicanus