Cayenne caecilian
Typhlonectes compressicauda (Duméril & Bibron, 1841)
The cayenne caecilian (Typhlonectes compressicauda) is an amphibian in the order Gymnophiona and the family Typhlonectidae. It is a small amphibian with an adult body mass of 600 g and a body length of up to 80 cm.
Quick facts about the cayenne caecilian
This nocturnal invertivore feeds on arthropods and uses aquatic, fossorial and terrestrial microhabitats. It gives live birth with a litter size of 20, and the IUCN Red List classifies it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 600 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- up to 80 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 4.9 years
- Main food
- arthropodssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- forest, riverine, wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 20src for Young per litter or clutch
- Reproduction
- Live birthsrc for Reproduction
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the cayenne caecilian live?
Not recorded
What is the cayenne caecilian?
Typhlonectes compressicauda, the Cayenne caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Typhlonectidae that lives in water. It is found in Amazonian Brazil, Peru, and Colombia as well as in Guyana and French Guiana, and likely Suriname, and according to some sources, Venezuela. It is an aquatic caecilian that inhabits permanent rivers and marshes mainly in the lowland forest zone.
From the Wikipedia article “Typhlonectes compressicauda” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Typhlonectes_compressicauda&oldid=1368854058), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the cayenne caecilian endangered?
The cayenne caecilian is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the cayenne caecilian classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAmphibia
- orderGymnophiona
- familyTyphlonectidae
- genusTyphlonectes
- SpeciesTyphlonectes compressicauda (Duméril & Bibron, 1841)
Synonyms Caecilia compressicauda, Coecilia compressicauda, Nectocaecilia ladigesi, Thyphlonectes compressicauda compressicauda, Typhlonectes anguillaformis, Typhlonectes compressicaudus, Typhlonectes cunhai, Typhlonectes obesus
Other names and names in other languages (10)
- červorovec zploštělýCzech
- Plattschwanz-SchwimmwühleGerman
- Cécilie à queue compriméeFrench
- Typhlonecte à queue compriméeFrench
- Typhlonecte à queue comprimée (Le)French
- Strumienica płaskoogonowaPolish
- Водная червягаRussian
- Водяная червягаRussian
- Тучная червягаRussian
- Угревидная червягаRussian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the cayenne caecilian
Other species in the same genus Typhlonectes.
Rubber eel
Typhlonectes natans
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the cayenne caecilian?
The cayenne caecilian is an amphibian in the order Gymnophiona and the family Typhlonectidae.
How big is the cayenne caecilian?
It is a small amphibian with an adult body mass of 600 g and a body length of up to 80 cm.
What does the cayenne caecilian eat?
It is an invertivore whose main foods are arthropods.
Is the cayenne caecilian endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.
How long does the cayenne caecilian live?
Its lifespan is up to 4.9 years.
How does the cayenne caecilian reproduce?
It gives live birth, with a litter size of 20.
What habitat does the cayenne caecilian use?
Its microhabitats are aquatic, fossorial and terrestrial, and it is nocturnal.
Who named the cayenne caecilian?
Its scientific name, Typhlonectes compressicauda, is attributed to (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits · CC BY 4.0 · v1
Oliveira, B.F., São-Pedro, V.A., Santos-Barrera, G., Penone, C. & Costa, G.C. (2017) AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits. Scientific Data 4: 170123. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.123. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4644424.v5 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Cayenne caecilian (Typhlonectes compressicauda). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cayenne-caecilian
“Cayenne caecilian (Typhlonectes compressicauda).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cayenne-caecilian.
@misc{cayenne_caecilian_2026,
title = {Cayenne caecilian (Typhlonectes compressicauda)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cayenne-caecilian},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}