Facts About Amphibians – Interesting And Amazing Facts About Amphibians

How often have you seen a slinky striped salamander or a gorgeous scarlet-eyed toad on your television screens and wondered and marveled at its unique making? Amphibians, as these classes of creatures are scientifically classified as, have a fairly extensive range and are found almost in every corner of the globe, both on land and water alike. It is this unique trait to inhabit in both land and water that gives amphibians their unique status in the ‘animalia’ kingdom. The word ‘amphibian’ is clearly inspired from the Greek word ‘amphibios’ which means a double life. The larval stage of an amphibian’s life is always aquatic, while an adult amphibian may shuttle between water and land, as it pleases. Amphibians like caecilians, toads, frogs and salamanders that infest marshes, swamps, ponds, brackish water and tropical forests, have more than 5,000 existing species and are found in almost all sizes, shapes and colors. These slimy looking creatures are sly predators and zap up almost all kinds of invertebrates, big or small, in a dart. Crawl down the following article to discover more of this unique species.

Interesting And Amazing Facts About Amphibians

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Amphibia

Order: Anura, Caudata, Apoda

Species: More than 5,000 species

Lifespan: 4-15 years

Diet: Amphibians are carnivorous and feed on a wide array of invertebrates and small vertebrates. They also feed on algae and other plants as well.

Habitat: Forests, rivers, marshes, meadows, swamps, bogs, farmlands

Gestation Period: Varies from species to species

Interesting And Amazing Facts About Amphibians

Did you know that amphibians are the only members of the ‘amphibia’ class to have three living orders - anura (frogs and toads), caudata (newts and mud puppies) and apoda (caecilians)? What really sets ‘anura’s’ and ‘caudata’s’ apart is their ‘tail’. While ‘anura’ are tailless four-legged amphibians, ‘caudata’ derives its main lineament from its tail. The ‘apoda’, which is the rarest species of amphibians, have long, wormy bodies, visionless eyes and high dermal scales which make them look like eels or earthworms.
Amphibians usually vary in their sizes and can range from 1 cm to more than 180 cms. The Chinese giant salamander, which is apparently the largest living amphibian on earth, is believed to be more than 1.5 meters in length while the ‘lost’ pea-sized micro frog, which is deemed as the smallest amphibian, is as tiny as 12.8 mm.
Amphibians are ‘ectothermic’ in nature, which means unlike we humans, amphibians experience a change in their body temperature in tune with their surroundings. Thus, amphibians are more energetic during warm days and are able to prey better in summers than during winters when the cold weather cuts down on their torpor and makes them torpid.
Adult amphibians generally retain their teeth even though it may be rarely present or totally reduced in some species. Amphibians do not possess hair or scales on their bodies and have protective pigments in their body that helps them to draw water and oxygen from their surroundings and save them from arid environment and prowling predators.
Amphibians come in a myriad of hues and shades. While amphibians like the strawberry poison dart frog, the golden toad and cave salamanders come in gorgeous hues, others like the spotted or blue ridge two-lined salamander have drab colors that help them merge with their muddy habitat. Amphibians owe their hues to colorful pigments called chromatophores that mainly invest itself on the lower layers of the skin. Amphibians can change their color by disseminating or concentrating chromatophores to suit their surroundings and guise themselves from predators.
Believe it or not, amphibians breathe through their skin. Amphibians like salamanders have slick, slimy and porous skin that helps them to absorb oxygen and water from the environment. Although some amphibians have gills or lungs to facilitate breathing, they depend on their skin for additional oxygen. What’s more? Amphibians do not drink water. As a matter of fact, they soak up all the water through their permeable skin that helps to keep them hydrated all along.
Ever wondered what gives amphibians its ‘slick’ looks? Well, you will be surprised to know that an amphibian’s skin has mucus secreting glands that helps the skin from drying out, even in the most arid of conditions. These slimy secretions help the amphibians to balance the salt and water quotient in their internal tissues. Many amphibians like the poison arrow frog have modified mucus-secreting glands that secrete poisonous toxins to protect themselves from potential predators.

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