# Slender caecilian (*Caecilia gracilis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/slender-caecilian  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The slender caecilian (Caecilia gracilis) is a living amphibian in the order Gymnophiona and the family Caeciliidae. It is an invertivore whose main foods are arthropods, placing it at the carnivore trophic level. The IUCN Red List assesses the slender caecilian globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | up to 73.5 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | arthropods |
| Habitat | forest, human_modified |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Amphibia
- order: Gymnophiona
- family: Caeciliidae
- genus: Caecilia
- species: *Caecilia gracilis* Shaw, 1802

Synonyms: *Caecilia gracilis lumbricoidea*, *Caecilia lumbricoidaea*, *Caecilia lumbricoides*, *Caecilia vermiformis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the slender caecilian?

The slender caecilian is an amphibian in the order Gymnophiona and the family Caeciliidae.

### How big is the slender caecilian?

Its body length reaches up to 73.5 cm, the highest value reported by our sources.

### What does the slender caecilian eat?

It eats arthropods, its main foods. It is classed as an invertivore at the carnivore trophic level.

### What habitat does the slender caecilian use?

Its microhabitat is aquatic, fossorial and terrestrial.

### Is the slender caecilian endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### What is the scientific name of the slender caecilian and who named it?

Its scientific name is Caecilia gracilis, named by Shaw, 1802.

### What other names does the slender caecilian have?

It is also called the Surinam caecilian, Wormlike Caecilia and Suriname caecilian.

## Sources

- [AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4644424.v5), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Slender caecilian (Caecilia gracilis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/slender-caecilian