😲🐍 Di Amphibians Wey Dey Chop Dem Mama Skin
⬇️ Pidgin ⬇️ ⬇️ Black American Slang ⬇️ English
Di first time wey people don see amphibians like caecilians wey dey give dia microbiomes to dia pikin na wen dem dey born. These baby caecilians, wey no get leg and dem dey look like snake and worm join together, dey use their small teeth wey shape like hook dey peel off dem mama skin to chop. 🍖 Na dead skin but e dey fat and get better food join inside. For just three months, these small caecilians go turn big ones wey fit waka on their own.
This kind habit wey dem get no just dey give dem food. From wetin dem publish for study wey dem do for May, when dem dey chop dem mama skin, e dey allow dem mama give dem her own special microbiomes and e fit help build their body to fight sickness. Na the first time wey dem dey see say amphibian fit pass microbiome go give dia pikin.
This thing ehn, e dey strange gidigba. David Blackburn, the ogbonge person wey dey look after herpetology for Florida Museum and na im write di study talk say, if you check their belle, you go see say na skin full inside. He come dey talk say make dem understand which kind microbes dem be, where dem dey come from and how dem dey take dey do with sickness, na better matter.
For how amphibians take be, caecilians dey very special: Dem no get leg, their eyes small and sometimes na skin cover am, and dem dey use two small tentacles for their face take feel things around dem. No be every time you go see amphibian wey dey care for their pikin – like most frogs and salamander just dey drop their egg and waka – but caecilians get better way wey dem dey take look after their pikin. 🐣
For many weeks, Dr. Blackburn and him team dey find these caecilians for inside di rainforest soil for place wey dem dey call southeastern Cameroon. Dem come find 29 caecilians wey like dey chop skin. Dem study about 1.5 million different microbial DNA from the skin and belle of these caecilians and 5,000 microbe DNA from the area around them.
Di bacteria wey dem see for di small ones, e no plenty like the one wey dey for leaves, water, and ground. But some of the pikin get like 20% of microbiome wey be like their mama own for skin or belle.
Carlos Jared, wey be the big man for Structural Biology Laboratory for Butantan Institute for Brazil dey always follow caecilians, he no follow for this study but him too dey check the link between how dem dey care for pikin and how dem dey give dem microbiome. Him dey very happy say wetin he dey think for 20 years now e don come true.
Mark Wilkinson, wey be big person for Natural History Museum for London talk say the kind way wey caecilian mamas skin dey, e dey two times thick pass other females wey no get pikin. Him talk say e be like say dem dey give their pikin breast milk in their own style.
But all the people wey do the research talk say the thing dem find still never complete, na just small testing dem do and plenty questions still dey. Dem dey wonder how the pikin dey collect all the microbiomes and if e dey start from when dem dey small or e take time dey collect am as dem dey grow.
Some kind caecilian dey carry poison, and dem no sabi wetin dey happen to the poison when the pikin dey chop the skin. Dem no also know if this kind way wey dem dey take microbe fit make dem get skin disease wey other amphibians dey get and if e fit dey dangerous to caecilians.
But to learn anything about caecilians no dey easy at all, na mostly for ground dem dey, na wetin Dr. Blackburn talk. He talk say caecilians don tey well well, more than 200 million years, but wetin people know about how dem dey live, e no plenty.
So e dey hard to sabi how all the thing wey dem dey learn from caecilians fit epp other amphibians.
This kind group of animals, dem dey do things in way wey other amphibians no dey do, but people dey always group them with frogs and salamanders. Dr. Blackburn talk say e be like say people dey group whale and horse together.
NOW IN BLACK AMERICAN SLANG
😲🐍 These Amphibians Straight-Up Munch on Their Momma’s Skin!
Alright, so check it: we got these caecilians, right? Now, they’re the first ones in the amphibian world that’s passing down their microbiomes to their youngins. When these little caecilians come to life, looking like a mix of a snake and a worm, they’re using their small teeth to chow down on their mom’s skin. 🍖 Now, that skin might be dead, but it’s stacked with nutrients. Fast forward three months, and these youngins are rolling solo.
Now, here’s where it gets wild: this skin-munching ain’t just about getting fed. A recent study dropped some knowledge saying that by eating their mom’s skin, these caecilians might be catching some of her unique microbiomes, which could be giving their immune systems a boost. It’s like they’re leveling up from day one.
This whole thing? Kinda wild if you ask me. David Blackburn, the top dog of herpetology at the Florida Museum and the dude behind the study, said when you take a look inside these creatures, you’re straight-up finding skin. He’s all about diving deep to understand these microbes and how they play out with diseases.
Caecilians? They ain’t your regular amphibians. No legs, tiny eyes sometimes even covered up, and they’re feeling out their world with some tentacles on their face. While most amphibians, like frogs and them, drop their eggs and bounce, caecilians? They’re on another level with parenting. 🐣
Now, Dr. Blackburn and his crew were grinding out in southeastern Cameroon for weeks. They rounded up 29 of these skin-loving caecilians. They broke down about 1.5 million microbial DNA samples from these creatures and another 5,000 from the environment around them.
What’s crazy is the bacteria in the youngsters? Most didn’t match up with what was found in the surrounding environment. But for some, close to 20% of their microbiomes were looking real similar to what was in their mom’s system.
Now, there’s this guy, Carlos Jared, running things at the Butantan Institute in Brazil. He’s been on this track, trying to connect caecilian parenting with microbiome transfers. Dude’s feeling good seeing his long-time theory getting some love.
Over in London, Mark Wilkinson’s dropping facts about caecilian mommas having skin twice as thick as the other females without youngins. He’s saying it’s like they got their own unique way of nurturing.
But here’s the thing: all these findings? They’re fresh, and there’s still mad questions up in the air. Like, how do these youngins build up these microbiomes? Is it right from birth or over time?
And, real talk, some caecilian species? They’re packing poison. So what’s the deal when the young ones eat that skin? Plus, is there a risk that this eating habit could lead to skin diseases that have been hitting other amphibians?
Getting the 411 on caecilians ain’t easy since they’re mostly chilling underground. Dr. Blackburn says we’ve got a lot to learn about these creatures. They’ve been around for mad long, but there’s still a ton we don’t know.
Ending on this: caecilians? They ain’t like other amphibians. Grouping them with frogs and such might not even make sense. Like Dr. Blackburn said, it’s like comparing whales and horses. Just ain’t right.
NOW IN ENGLISH
These Amphibians Love Eating Their Mom’s Skin 😲🐍
The first instance of amphibians, specifically caecilians, transmitting their microbiomes to their offspring was observed during birth. These baby caecilians, which are legless and look like a combination of a snake and a worm, use their small, hook-shaped teeth to peel and eat their mother’s skin. 🍖 Although this skin is dead, it’s rich in fats and nutrients. In just three months, these little caecilians mature into independent adolescents.
This unique behavior provides more than just sustenance. A study from May suggests that by eating their mother’s skin, these caecilians might be inheriting their mother’s unique microbiomes, potentially bolstering their immune defenses. It’s groundbreaking as it’s the first recorded case of amphibians passing on their microbiomes to the next generation.
This practice seems quite bizarre. David Blackburn, the head of herpetology at the Florida Museum and the author of the study, mentioned that if you inspect their bellies, you’d find consumed skin. He emphasized the importance of understanding these microbes, their origins, and their interactions with diseases.
In the world of amphibians, caecilians are peculiar: They’re legless, have tiny eyes sometimes covered in skin, and navigate their environment using two small tentacles on their faces. Most amphibians, like frogs and salamanders, don’t tend to nurture their offspring — they lay their eggs and leave. But caecilians? They’ve evolved unique parenting methods. 🐣
Dr. Blackburn and his team spent weeks excavating the rainforest soils of southeastern Cameroon. They managed to gather 29 skin-eating caecilians. They studied around 1.5 million diverse microbial DNA samples from the skin and bellies of these caecilians, as well as 5,000 microbe DNA samples from the surrounding environment.
Most of the bacteria identified in the young ones weren’t like those from the nearby leaves, water, or soil. However, for some of the youngsters, about 20% of their microbiomes resembled those found in their mothers’ skin or digestive tracts.
Carlos Jared, the lead of the Structural Biology Laboratory at the Butantan Institute in Brazil, has been researching the connection between caecilian nurturing and microbiome transfer. He was thrilled to see his two-decade-long theory get some validation.
Mark Wilkinson from the Natural History Museum in London pointed out that the skin of caecilian mothers is double the thickness of other females without offspring. It’s as if they’re “nurturing” in their unique way.
However, researchers agree that the findings are still in the early stages, with many questions yet to be answered. How do the offspring accumulate these microbiomes? Does it start immediately after birth or over an extended caregiving period?
Some caecilian species are venomous, and it’s yet to be determined how these toxins affect the young ones when they consume the skin. Moreover, it’s uncertain whether this way of microbe transfer could increase the risk of skin diseases that have been affecting amphibians and potentially threaten caecilians.
Understanding caecilians is quite challenging since they’re mostly subterranean, as mentioned by Dr. Blackburn. Even though caecilians have been around for over 200 million years, there’s still so much to discover about their biology.
He concluded by highlighting that caecilians are vastly different from other amphibians, and grouping them with frogs and salamanders might not be accurate. As Dr. Blackburn put it, it’s akin to categorizing whales with horses.
