# What Caecilian species live in Hawaii?



## Asura (Apr 29, 2009)

Found a caecilian, about 15 centimeters long, under a rock on Oahu today. Didn't take a picture sadly, but I'm trying to figure out what species it could possibly have been and google searching is getting me nothing.

Looking through google images, it looked closest and VERY similar to the sagalla caecilian:










But apparently these are only found in Africa and are very endangered, so I doubt this was it.


Does anybody know about Hawaii's caecilians or have a good website to direct me to in order to learn more?

Thanks!


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Are you sure that its a Caecilian and not a Flowerpot Snake (Ramphotyphlops).I would put my money on the snake.


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## Asura (Apr 29, 2009)

Thanks! It's seems incredibly likely it was a _Ramphotyphlops braminus_.

I'll keep my eyes open and find another one, and then I'll be able to confirm for sure. I found it during work so I didn't have enough time to actually observe it or look at it under a magnifying glass and check for a flicking tongue. Since it was digging through dirt beneath a rock, I just assumed it was a caecilian. There did seem to an ant nest there though, or at least a tunnel connecting to it, which apparently the blind snake eats the larvae of. So more reason to assume it was the Brahminy blind snake.

Either way, thanks for giving me the most plausible identification of this herp, as that's what I was after.


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