Freaky ‘Penis Snakes’ Have Finally Made It to the U.S., and of Course They Chose Florida

DNA evaluation confirms that an eel-like creature pulled from a Florida canal two years in the past is a caecilian, in any other case often known as the “penis snake.” The identical canal has since yielded a number of different specimens, resulting in issues that the non-native amphibian has taken root within the United States.

“To our knowledge, this represents the first record of a caecilian in Florida or anywhere else in the United States,” declares new research revealed in Reptiles & Amphibians.

The 2-foot-long specimen was captured by members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in Miami’s Tamiami Canal, also referred to as the C-4 Canal, on November 7, 2019. Personnel with the FWC had been conducting a routine survey of the canal once they netted the one reside specimen in shallow waters close to Miami International Airport.

The animal ultimately died in captivity as makes an attempt to feed it failed. The specimen was then despatched to the Florida Museum of Natural History for additional evaluation, the place geneticists recognized the species as Typhlonectes natans. The DNA evaluation helped to differentiate this specimen from a similar-looking species, Typhlonectes compressicauda, which is widespread in South America. More generally known as a Rio Cauca caecilian, Typhlonectes natans are native to Columbia and Venezuela. Since the seize of this ugly little man, FWC members have obtained a number of extra specimens, together with experiences of sightings within the C-4 Canal.

Caecilians aren’t choosy eaters, scavenging and preying upon an assortment of small animals. One species of terrestrial caecilian, Siphonops annulatus, would possibly even be venomous. In the Western Hemisphere, their vary extends as far north as southern Mexico, they usually can be present in tropical components of Africa and southeast Asia. The ancestors to trendy caecilians lived in North America roughly 170 million years in the past, however other than these latest sightings, the creatures aren’t identified to inhabit this a part of the world. Caecilians want slow-moving our bodies of heat and shallow water with aquatic vegetation.

“Parts of the C-4 Canal are just like that,” Coleman Sheehy, supervisor of the Florida Museum’s herpetology assortment and the primary writer of the brand new examine, defined in a statement. “This may be an environment where this species can thrive.”

As to how a caecilian ended up within the Miami canal, the researchers suspect the dumping of undesirable pets. Indeed, Typhlonectes natans is the most well-liked species within the caecilian pet commerce, they usually’re able to breeding in captivity.

Important subsequent steps might be to find out what number of caecilians at the moment are residing within the canal, how far they’ve unfold, and whether or not this species has established itself within the canal. The potential ecological impression of this non-native species shouldn’t be but identified, representing an additional avenue of analysis.

“Very little is known about these animals in the wild, but there’s nothing particularly dangerous about them, and they don’t appear to be serious predators,” stated Coleman. “They’ll probably eat small animals and get eaten by larger ones. This could be just another non-native species in the South Florida mix.”

Caecilians are shy and have very poor eyesight, although a specialised sense organ situated between their eyes and nostrils helps them find meals. Some species prefer to burrow underground, however Typhlonectes natans prefers contemporary water. These animals aren’t snakes or worms, and as a substitute belong to the Gymnophiona order of amphibians. The extra acquainted frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts belong to a different order completely.

Sadly, Florida is not any stranger to non-native species. The state just lately banned the sale of invasive reptiles, as escaped iguanas and snakes have proliferated uncontrolled.