Rare sight

27 February 2014 02:38 pm Views - 4509

A rare species of snake-like amphibians -Caecilians- were seen in large numbers at a pond at Kakamunai in Kinniya on Tuesday (25). The swarm of reptiles frightened the people of the region.

Caecilians are limbless amphibians that look almost like snakes, earthworms, or eels.  These limbless amphibians are tropical, found in Southern and Central America, Asia, and Africa. They are adapted for a life of burrowing and swimming, with very sleek, muscular bodies which typically come in earthy tones like brown and green, although some caecilians have colorful stripes. Many caecilians spend most of their lives underground, while some South American species prefer to live in aquatic environments.

The fishermen of the area couldn’t identify the rare species, however they ruled out that they could be related aquatic animals. The residents recalled that they saw similar swarms just before the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.