noun

• A burrowing wormlike amphibian of a tropical order distinguished by poorly developed eyes and the lack of limbs.

  Order Gymnophiona (or Apoda): five families

  ‘Some not-so-familiar creatures, like the legless, burrowing caecilians, are also amphibians.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Although they are amphibians, caecilians are denizens of the terrestrial underworld.’
  • ‘While burrowing, caecilians employ concertina locomotion, lateral undulation, and vermiform locomotion.’
  • ‘In contrast to frogs, caecilians have a radically elongated vertebral column, no limbs or girdles, and relatively elaborate hypaxial musculature.’
  • ‘The oldest known frogs, salamanders and caecilians are very similar to their living descendants.’