'Yummy mummy' filmed feeding young her skin

One of the strangest meal-times in the animal kingdom has been caught on film by a BBC crew.

The team recorded footage of a female worm-like amphibian, called a caecilian, allowing her young to peel off and eat her skin.



Scientists have only recently discovered this bizarre parental behaviour.

The female caecilian's skin becomes thicker and more nutrient-rich when she bears offspring. And the young have specialised teeth for tearing and removing it.



The crew was able to catch this behaviour on camera by building a set which resembled the shallow, humid underground chambers that the creatures live in.

It took several attempts to capture the footage; the caecilian babies would only eat their mother's skin for about 10 minutes, once every three days, and often at night.