An amphibious wormlike creature has been discovered in Kenya. Do you know what their young ones feed on? On their mother’s skin! Can this creature’s nature suggest a missing evolutionary link between external egg-hatchings to the live births seen in modern mammals? The researchers believe that it does.
These worm-like creatures with a peculiar diet are called Boulengerula taitanus. Boulengerula taitanus is a part of a group of tropical, legless terrestrial amphibians, called caecilians. Their nursing mothers transform the top layer of their skin to a thicker layer of large cells from its usual flat, dead cells. This skin is rich in protein and fats that nurtures their young. The nutrient content of this skin layer can easily replace the nutrition value of milk.
Via: New Scientist