Something between a snake and a worm: a mysterious creature with dozens of teeth was discovered in the forests of Ecuador. Photo

Scientists in the forest of Ecuador came across a 60-centimeter-long creature with a unique color. It turned out to be a mysterious new species - a cross between a snake and a worm.

Researchers visited several locations in northern Ecuador between 2016 and 2023 in search of caecilians, an unusual and little-known type of amphibian. During their search, the researchers found several unfamiliar caecilians and, after taking a closer look at the animals, realized that they had discovered a new species: Caecilia tesoro, or Tesoro caecilians, the Miami Herald writes.

"Caecilians have a snake-like appearance, but no visible scales. They live underground, have small eyes and are rarely seen. The diet of these creatures consists of underground animals, including earthworms," the scientist said.

As stated in the study, Tesoro caecilians are considered large and reach 80 centimeters in length. Their strong bodies have no limbs and are pierced with "grooves". Their heads have very small eyes, fleshy tongues, and dozens of large, backward-curved teeth.

The photo shows the unique coloration of the new species. Its head and back are gray, but the rest of its body is yellowish-cream to caramel in color. Scientists point out that the color of Tesoro's caecilians depends on their size. Smaller animals are uniformly dark gray, while larger ones are gray and yellow-brown, the study says.

According to the researchers, the new species is named after the Spanish word "tesoro", which means "treasure", in honor of the Tesoro Escondido Reserve, where it was first discovered.

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