Amphibian | Characteristics, Life Cycle, & Facts

What are Amphibians?

Amphibians are a class of animals that resemble reptiles, mammals, and birds. They live the first part of their life underwater and the last part on land. When they hatch from eggs, amphibians have gills that allow them to breathe in water. They also have fins to help them swim, just like fish. After that, their bodies changed, legs and lungs developed to allow them to live on land. The word “amphibian” means two lives, one in water and one on land.

Amphibians are Cold-blooded

Like fish and reptiles, amphibians are cold-blooded. This means that their bodies do not automatically regulate their temperature. They need to cool down and warm up using their surroundings.

Growing up from Egg to Adult

Most amphibians hatch from eggs. After hatching, their bodies are still in the larval stage. At this point, they look a lot like fish. They have gills to breathe underwater and fins to swim. As they age, their bodies undergo changes known as metamorphosis. They can develop lungs to breathe air and limbs to walk on the ground. The transformation is not the same in all amphibians, but most species undergo some type of metamorphosis.

Stages of a Frog

As an example of metamorphosis, observe the frog:

a) after hatching, the frog is a tadpole with a tail and gills
b) it becomes a bipedal tadpole
c) a tadpole with four legs and a long tail
d) short-tailed frog
e) an adult frog

Types of Amphibians

Frogs – Frogs are amphibians of the order Anurans. They usually have short bodies, webbed fingers and toes, bulging eyes, and no tail. Frogs dance well with long and strong legs. Toad is a type of frog. The two species of frogs are the American bullfrog and the poison dart frog.

Salamanders – Salamanders looks a bit like a lizard. They have thin bodies, short legs and long tails. The salamander can regrow lost limbs and other body parts. They prefer wet and humid areas like wetlands. Newts are a type of salamander.

Caecilians – Caecilians are amphibians without legs or arms. They look a lot like snakes or worms. Some of them can be long and reach more than 4 feet in length. They have strong skulls and sharp noses to help them dig through dirt and mud.

Where do Amphibians live?

Amphibians have adapted to live in a number of different habitats including streams, forests, grasslands, swamps, swamps, ponds, rainforests, and lakes. Most of them prefer to live in or near water and wet areas.

What do Amphibians eat?

Adult amphibians are carnivores and carnivores. They eat a variety of foods including spiders, beetles and worms. Some species, such as frogs, have long tongues with sticky tips that help them stick out to catch prey.

The larvae of many amphibians feed mainly on plants.

Big and Small Amphibians

The largest amphibian is the Chinese giant salamander. It can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh 140 pounds. The largest frog is the Goliath Frog, which can grow up to 15 inches (excluding legs) and weigh over 8 pounds.

The smallest amphibian is a frog called paedophryne amauensis. It is also the smallest vertebrate in the world. It is about 0.3 inches long.

Interesting Facts about Amphibians

Most amphibians have thin, moist skin that helps them breathe.

Amphibians are considered vertebrates because they have a backbone.

Frogs swallow their food whole. The size of what they can eat is determined by the size of their mouth and stomach.

Frogs cannot live in salt water. All amphibians have gills, some only as larvae and others for life.

The myth is that you can get warts from touching a frog or toad.

A group of frogs is called an army.

Amphibian skin absorbs air and water. This makes them very susceptible to air and water pollution.