# Rubber Eel (*Typhlonectes natans*)

The Rubber Eel is a slippery, smooth creature that lives in water. It can wiggle and swim quickly, making it fun to watch! Even though it looks like a snake, it's actually an amphibian.

- **Category:** [Amphibians](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/amphibian)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wetlands

![Rubber Eel](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Typhlonectes_natans5.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Christophe cagé 6 july 2007, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Typhlonectes_natans5.jpg)

## Appearance

The Rubber Eel is a slender, limbless amphibian resembling a shiny, dark grey or brownish-black worm. Its smooth, segmented body helps it glide through water, distinguishing it from true eels by its lack of fins and gills.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Amphibia
- **Order:** Gymnophiona
- **Family:** Typhlonectidae
- **Genus:** Typhlonectes

## Interesting facts

- Rubber Eels have small, sharp teeth perfect for gripping slippery prey in the water!
- Their skin is covered in tiny rings, making them look a bit like earthworms!
- They use their hard, pointy heads like shovels to burrow into soft mud!
- This amazing amphibian is completely limbless, looking like a shiny, dark snake!

## Special abilities

- **Underwater Breather:** Rubber Eels can breathe through their skin, absorbing oxygen directly from the water, which helps them stay submerged for longer.
- **Sensory Seeker:** Rubber Eels have tiny retractable tentacles on their heads that help them 'smell' and 'taste' underwater, finding prey in murky environments.
- **Live Birth Giver:** Rubber Eels give birth to live young rather than laying eggs, a rare trait among amphibians that protects their babies.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 30-55 cm
- **Weight:** 0.1-0.3 kg
- **Lifespan:** 5-8 years
- **Speed:** 4 km/h

## Diet & Feeding

Rubber Eels are stealthy hunters that snatch up small aquatic animals.

- **Primary Foods:** Aquatic insect larvae, Earthworms, Small crustaceans, Tiny fish
- **Foraging Method:** Ambush

## Ecological connections

- **Hunts:** Bloodworm (*Chironomus plumosus*) — hunts larvae in mud and sediment
- **Hunts:** Blackworm (*Lumbriculus variegatus*) — preys on small worms in soft sediment
- **Eaten by:** [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) — wading birds hunt them in shallow waters
- **Eaten by:** [Anaconda](https://www.snappit.app/explore/anaconda) (*Eunectes murinus*) — large aquatic snakes prey on amphibians

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.
- [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
- [Speedster](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/speedster): This trait identifies organisms that exhibit exceptional swiftness in movement for hunting, escape, or travel.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

## Collections

- [Amphibians](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/amphibians)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always be gentle and watch from a distance if you see a Rubber Eel in the water.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Rubber Eel?

Compare body shape, toes, markings, tail and skin texture. Tadpoles and larvae can look nothing like the adults they turn into. Amphibian Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Rubber Eel?

30-55 cm

### How much does Rubber Eel weigh?

0.1-0.3 kg

### How long does Rubber Eel live?

5-8 years

### How fast can Rubber Eel move?

4 km/h

### What does Rubber Eel eat?

Rubber Eels are stealthy hunters that snatch up small aquatic animals.

### Where is Rubber Eel usually found?

Wetlands

### How does Rubber Eel hunt?

Ambush

## More Amphibians

- [Eastern Red-backed Salamander](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-red-backed-salamander) (*Plethodon cinereus*)
- [California Slender Salamander](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-slender-salamander) (*Batrachoseps attenuatus*)
- [Cuban Tree Frog](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cuban-tree-frog) (*Osteopilus septentrionalis*)
- [European Toad](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-toad) (*Bufo bufo*)

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Source: [Rubber Eel: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rubber-eel)