caecilian

Two red-tailed coral snakes have been observed competing over a caecilian in the first documented wild case of kleptoparasitism within the family Elapidae.

Scientists studying the feeding behavior of caecilians—a group of limbless, egg-laying creatures—observed their offspring making a peculiar and rarely heard sound.

It adds to the curiousness of caecilians, who were already known for feeding hatchlings skin ripped off mom’s back as a postnatal nutritious snack.

When born, baby caecilians — legless amphibians that look like a mash-up of a snake and a worm — use their tiny hook-shaped teeth to scrape off their mother’s skin and feast.

Amphibians, a class of animals able to live both on land and in the water, consist of three groups: frogs, salamanders and the wormlike animals called caecilians.