Meet the strange salamander that nurses its young

Investigating the peculiar feeding habits of caecilians of the underground species Siphonops annulatus and their young (born) babies in Brazil

According to a University of California at Berkeley professor who was not involved with the study, this species of caeclian has evolved to deal with the same problem faced by human babies. Like humans, the little ones are born before they can fend for themselves. They are vulnerable. And in order to help them grow, while keeping them close, their mother has developed a milk-ish fluid.

“I really don’t agree that they’re horrible” says Marta Antoniazzi, a Biologist at the Instituto Butantan. Brazil is home to lots of caecilians and Antoniazzi is a fan.

The creature, known as a caecilian, lives underground. Researchers believe that the animal developed the ability to produce a milk-like substance independently of mammals, who are universally known for feeding milk to their young.

For Antoniazzi, caecilians are a wonderful reminder that very different animals, like puppies and underground worm-amphibians, can share a lot in common.

Carlos Jared leads the team that is studying the caecilians. He noticed the wriggly babies had a lot of energy as he watched the process.

A study co-author says the liquid is functionally similar to milk.

As well as eating on their mother’s skin, S. annulatus young could get their mother to excrete a fat- and carbohydrate-rich liquid from her cloaca by making high-pitched clicking noises. The young would also stick their heads into the cloaca to feed.

Antoniazzi, Jared and their colleagues wanted to investigate these young amphibians’ bizarre feeding habits in more detail, so they collected 16 nesting caecilians of the species Siphonops annulatus and their young at cacao plantations in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The researchers then filmed the animals and analysed more than 200 hours of their behaviour.

An egg-laying amphibian found in Brazil nourishes its newly hatched young with a fatty, milk-like substance, according to a study published today in Science1.

Lactation is considered a key characteristic of mammals. Some animals can produce liquid for children, including birds, fish, insects and even spiders.