Monster half frog – snake – worm super “weird” in Vietnam
With an elongated body shape, segmented into small segments. They have no scales and are slippery like worms, but they have snake-like eyes and mouths. Surely many people will be confused about what to call it.
If 10 people see them, 7 people will say they are worms and 3 people will think they are snakes. But in fact, this animal belongs to the family… frogs.
This unusual animal is called by scientists as a worm frog , an amphibian species distributed in many mountainous areas of Vietnam, stretching from Thai Nguyen to Ca Mau.
Here are some pictures of them:
The body of the worm frog is similar to an earthworm, but larger.
Moreover, the body of the reptile, with its smooth yellow-brown vertical stripes and the flattened head of this worm frog, makes people think of poisonous snakes with striking and eye-catching colors
The body length of the worm frog can reach tens of centimeters.
They differ from worms in that: The head has eyes like two black dots.
The head of the worm frog is small and slightly flattened, the snout is relatively pointed, and the jaws are clear.
In the tadpole stage, worm frogs have gills on either side of their necks. As an adult, the gills on either side of the neck disappear and the animal breathes differently.
Worm frogs usually live at high altitudes such as in the Tam Dao range, but people also find them in lowlands such as U Minh forest.
Living in the soil like worms, their burrows are often found in porous soils about 20-30cm deep near ponds and lakes.
The food of the worm frog is earthworms and some insects.
The number of worm frogs today is quite small because they have lost their habitat in many places.
They lay eggs near water. The number of eggs in a litter of about 20 is connected by mucus and the female is wrapped to protect the eggs from drying and regulate the appropriate temperature so that the young have the best chance of development.
This unique amphibian has been included in the Red Book of Vietnam and is protected by law.
