The "penis snake" was first discovered in Brazil when engineers were building a dam in the Madeira River in Rondonia. Six of the unusual creatures were found at the time. The unusual species gained its naughty nickname because of its appearance -- a broad, rounded head atop a thick, cylindrical fleshy body. But the phallic squirmer isn't a snake but an extremely rare, limbless amphibian.
Biologist Julian Tupan identified the species as Atretochoana eiselti, a type of caecilian. According to the U.K.'s National History Museum, no living populations of the A. eiselti had been found prior to this discovery and only two preserved specimens were known.
Legless and lungless, this aquatic animal is thought to breathe through its skin. Tupan, who is working with the company building the dam, disclosed what little is known about the "penis snake" to Brazil's Estadao website, according to reports.
“Of the six we collected, one died, three were released back into the wild and another two were kept for studies," Tupan said.