Are there any good caecilian exhibits that effectively show what a caecilian is?

DavidBrown

DavidBrown

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
In U.S. zoos there seems to be an explosion of aquatic caecilian exhibits. When I was a kid I don't remember seeing caecilians in any zoos, and I was really excited when I saw my first caecilian in the Houston Zoo reptile house in 2007.

Observing people observe caecilians it seems like most people don't understand that it is an amphibian. Everybody knows what frogs are, and many people know what salamanders are, but caecilians are very obscure.

Has anybody seen a zoo caecilian exhibit that effectively teaches people what these animals are?

I have only seen aquatic caecilians in zoos. Are there any burrowing species on exhibit anywhere?
 
I shouldn't imagine burrowing species would make particularly good exhibits, but Zootierliste shows the Mexican burrowing caecilian Dermophis mexicanus at Chemnitz (Germany) and the Koh Tao caecilian Ichthyophis kohtaoensis at Chemnitz and Randers (Denmark)
 
Some fifteen years of London having a tank in its Reptile House, largely filled with weed in murky water, leads me to suspect that a caecilian exhibit is a contradiction in terms...
 
Thanks for the response guys. I pretty much thought that a burrowing caecilian exhibit would be a dud, but there are zoo design genuises out there who sometimes find a way to make things work.

Ian, is the exhibit that you are describing from London for a burrowing or aquatic caecilian? (Note: I re-read your post and it sounds most likely like an aquatic caecilian species?)

Has anybody here seen the burrowing caecilians at Randers or Chemnitz? How are they displayed?
 
I’ve seen aquatic caecilians (normally Typhlonectes natans) in a number of zoos; sadly most visitors pay little attention to these fascinating animals.

The caecilians in London Zoo share their exhibit with firemouth cichlids, the male of which is a very impressive specimen. Not surprisingly the caecilians are often hiding but, even when they are clearly visible, most visitors ignore them and devote their attention to the fish.
 
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Hallo David. The Reptile House has a tank of aquatic Cayenne caecilians (Typhlonectes compressicaudata). I think Ian has been a bit unlucky, as I have seen them several times, although they are a bit elusive. I had a similar problem on trying to see the hairy-eared dwarf lemur at Paris Zoo - I went to the enclosure a few times on separate visits, but never saw it. The caecilians are some of my favourite animals at London Zoo. Zootierliste says that London Zoo also has examples of the Congo caecilian (Herpele squalostoma), Gaboon caecilian (Geotrypetes seraphini) and rubber eel (Typhlonectes natans), but I think these are kept behind the scenes. I suspect that burrowing caecilians would make a poor exhibit. Frankfurt Zoo had ajotles or two-handed worm lizards (Bipes canaliculatus) in its Exotarium in the 1980s, but I doubt if they ever surfaced often.
 
Thanks for the info Tim and Dassie rat. If I ever get back to London's reptile house I'll be sure to look for the caecilians. It is interesting that they have several species.
 
Dassie rat said:
Zootierliste says that London Zoo also has examples of the Congo caecilian (Herpele squalostoma), Gaboon caecilian (Geotrypetes seraphini) and rubber eel (Typhlonectes natans), but I think these are kept behind the scenes.
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I thought the asterix next to the name meant these were former holdings (?)
 
Most caecilians don't come out of their hides, just like greater/lesser sirens and other limbless aquatic amphibians. The only caecilians I have seen to come out on both land and in water is the Cameroon blue caecilian. I don't know the scientific name but that is their most commonly used name and what they are sold under in the trade. It would make sense for these animals to be held behind the scenes and leave more active animals for the public to view.
 
Chlidonias said:
I thought the asterix next to the name meant these were former holdings (?)
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My earlier comment on this post was erroneous. The correct explanation for the asterisks is provided below; this was copied from the FAQ page of Zootierlist.

"What means * and ** after the name of the species?
* means, no German holding is known ** means, no European holding is known, especially you will find it at former holdings"


Apologies for any confusion.

NB All four species of caecilian mentioned by "Dassie rat" are listed in the most recent Zoological Society of London Animal Inventory as being at London Zoo on 1st January 2012.
 
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Looked these up as I'd never heard of them - fascinated to read of the foetus scraping cells off with teeth, I've never given any thought to non-placental foetal nutrition.
 
OrangePerson said:
I've never given any thought to non-placental foetal nutrition.
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This is not uncommon in 'livebearing' fishes - and happens in a range of ways.
I must confess that I find it very hard to get interested in caecilians - although I know it is my fault, not theirs :o

Alan
 
A whole new family of caecilians was just discovered in India. Apparently their closest relatives are many thousands of miles away in Africa: Chikilidae, Caecilians New Legless Amphibians Discovered In India (PICTURES)

@gentle lemur: caecilians live a very low-key lifestyle and definitely lack the charisma of frogs and whatever glamour that salamanders may have. They are nonetheless gloriously weird. Perhaps one of the young zoo designers in training here on ZooChat will take up the challenge of trying to make caecilians interesting to non-caeciliphiles (i.e., most people).
 
Tim May said:
No, an asterisk next to the name means that there is no name for the species in the German language.

All four species of caecilian mentioned by "Dassie rat" are listed in the most recent Zoological Society of London Animal Inventory as being at London Zoo on 1st January 2012.
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ah, thanks for that Tim. That will make reading Zootierliste more accurate for me!!
 
Sorry, Tim. I think the asterisk by the name refers to animals that are relatively uncommon in zoos, while two asterisks are used for particularly unusual animals. This system seems to be fairly subjective, as some animals with asterisks occur in more zoos than relatives without.
 
Chlidonias said:
ah, thanks for that Tim. That will make reading Zootierliste more accurate for me!!
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Dassie rat said:
Sorry, Tim. I think the asterisk by the name refers to animals that are relatively uncommon in zoos, while two asterisks are used for particularly unusual animals. This system seems to be fairly subjective, as some animals with asterisks occur in more zoos than relatives without.
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Apologies for any confusion caused by my inaccurate earlier post; it was completely wrong and I will correct it.

What follows is copied from the FAQ page on Zootierlist:-

"What means * and ** after the name of the species?
* means, no German holding is known ** means, no European holding is known, especially you will find it at former holdings"
 
Thanks Tim. I tried to find the information on various parts of Zootierliste, including the abbreviations and tried to base my undrstanding on logic. Your explanation makes more sense - it's a pity it's not more readily accessible e.g. underneath each list of species. I suppose it's a more pressing problem that some of the species are mis-classified, but I doubt if any website is safe from mistakes.
 
Oops, Tim already gave the correct answer...

And considering it's run by enthousiasts and the information on it is coming from the general public, it's pretty accurate.
 
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