Types Of Amphibians

The next time you come across a slimy frog or a tubby toad, don’t stop dead in your tracks. Instead, take the time to marvel at the genius of nature’s artwork, because right there in front of you is one of her masterpieces that go by the name ‘Amphibians’. Amphibians basically are those living organisms that are capable of surviving both on land and in the water. It’s not for an amphibian to drown when lost in the depths of a water body or run out of breath when finding itself on a piece of land. Amphibians really make for one of the most versatile creatures doing the rounds in the world today. In fact, don’t you think it would be simply outrageous to be at home underwater and on land? After all, how many creatures can boast of this great feat of survival? Not many, at least when going by the looks of it. Go right on ahead and engage yourself with an insight into the different types of amphibians doing the rounds today.

Different Kinds Of Amphibians

Order: Anura (Salientia)
Amphibians that belong to this class lack a tail; frogs and toads being the most obvious examples. There are approximately 45,000 different species that belong to this class. Although these species share similar characteristics, it still is considerably easy to differentiate them from each other. Anura amphibians are four legged and the length of the species that belong to this class can extend from a few millimeters to a foot or two. The most amazing feature of the Order: Anura (salientia) is that the amphibians that belong to this category are external fertilizers. External fertilizers stand to signify the ‘coming together of female and male sex cells outside the body of the female’. That is to say, Anura amphibians reproduce without physical contact. Anura amphibians are noted for their longer hind limbs, which makes it possible for them to climb and leap as high as they do. However, toads are exceptions to the long hind legs physical characteristic present in anura amphibians.

Order: Caudata (Urodela)
Amphibians that have tails fall under the class of ‘caudata’ (urodela). The name ‘caudata’ is sourced from the Latin word ‘cauda’ which means tail. This only implies that all amphibians that fall under the cauda class do have tails. The size of the tail of cauda amphibians, from species to species, can be real small, but can also extend to lengths as big as the particular amphibian’s body. Not many people know it, but just like how the limbs of an anura amphibian helps it to leap, the tail of a caudata amphibian help it to swim. Caudata amphibians or caudates as they are more popularly known have four equal sized limbs which are mostly used for walking. Caudates are not known to jump from one point to another, but their limbs are strong enough to help them make a quick dash or even a short run. Newts, mudpuppies, sirens, amphiuma, salamanders, waterdogs, sirens, etc. are examples of species that belong to the caudata class.

Order: Gymnophiona (Apoda): Caecilians
The amphibians that fall under this category really are the rarest amphibians in the world today. Only a few parts of Africa, South America and Southern Asia play home to the 50 odd caecilians. Caecilians are noted for their long worm like bodies and segments on the body that is distinct to them. These amphibians have hard skulls and a strong head too. It is their skulls that help them burrow deep into the soil and almost always live underground or even underwater. However, caecilian amphibians do not really enjoy the blessing of vision, but are still blessed with an astonishingly high dermal scale!