Animals Unlimited

So what is “Animals Unlimited” I hear you ask?

At the moment Animals Unlimited is my musings on the environment, nature, animals from around the world and anything else related that captures my imagination – and hopefully yours as well!

And what better way to start a new website than with the recent story of the discovery of a whole new family of species in India. Now the pun headline makes sense!

The entirely new family of legless caecilians amphibians, known as the Chikilidae, look like miniature snakes or earthworms growing to about 10cm in length. The image above shows a remarkably similar species (Dermophis mexicanus), to help you visualise these newly discovered beasties. These burrowing experts live underground in the tropical forests of northeast India, using their tough heads to push through soil at lightening speeds. They also have a mothering side, staying with and incubating their eggs for up to 50 days without food!

Discoveries like this just go to show how much there is left to discover and learn about the natural world! And what an exciting prospect that is!