A new amphibian species can survive on land with no nostrils, lungs, or legs, say researchers who discovered the bizarre beast.
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The creature, found in Guyana, is part of the wormlike group of amphibians known as caecilians. Only one other caecilian species is known to live without lungs.
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In general, the presence of lungs is among the key characteristics that make amphibians different from fish.
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Until recently, scientists thought salamanders were the only amphibians that lack lungs. But in 1995 researchers found the first known lungless caecilian, and in 2008 another team reported a tiny, land-dwelling, lungless frog.
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The new species is even more of a surprise, because the animal—named Caecilita iwokramae—is strikingly different from the other known lungless caecilian, the study authors note.
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Caecilita lives on land and is just 4.4 inches (11 centimeters) long, while its lungless relative is fully aquatic and reaches 27.5 inches (70 centimeters) in length.
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