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Large Amazon Caecilians (General Group) Large Amazon caecilians are among the most mysterious and least understood vertebrates of the tropical rainforest. Belonging to the order Gymnophiona, caecilians are limbless amphibians that superficially resemble snakes or earthworms, yet they are neither reptiles nor worms. The Amazon Basin hosts several of the world’s largest and most unusual caecilian species, many of which remain rarely observed due to their secretive lifestyles and subterranean or aquatic habits. Physically, large Amazon caecilians are elongated, cylindrical, and smooth-bodied, often reaching lengths of 60 centimeters to over 1.5 meters in exceptional species. Their skin is moist and segmented with ring-like folds called annuli, giving them an earthworm-like appearance. Unlike snakes, caecilians have tiny, often hidden eyes, sometimes covered by skin or bone, reflecting their adaptation to life underground or in murky waters where vision is of limited use. Instead, they rel...