Amphibians

What are Amphibians?

Amphibians are a class of vertebrates that includes frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts. They typically have a life cycle that involves both aquatic and terrestrial stages, with adaptations such as permeable skin that allow them to live in moist environments.

Animals That Live in Water and on Land

Amphibians are a group of animals that start their life in water but can live on land as adults. They include frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts. Amphibians are special because they can breathe through their skin and usually need water to survive.

What Makes Amphibians Unique?

Double Life: Amphibians start as eggs in water, hatch into aquatic larvae (like tadpoles), and then grow into adults that can live on land.
Moist Skin: They can breathe through their skin, as well as with lungs.
Cold-Blooded: Amphibians rely on the environment to control their body temperature.

Examples of Amphibians

Frogs: Famous for their jumping and croaking.
Toads: Similar to frogs but with drier, bumpy skin.
Salamanders: Look like lizards but are soft-skinned and live near water.
Caecilians: Worm-like amphibians that live underground.

Where They Live

Amphibians are found in many habitats, including:

Ponds and Lakes: Where they lay their eggs.
Forests: Moist areas under logs or leaves.
Tropical Rainforests: Full of colorful and unique amphibians like tree frogs.

Metamorphosis Stages

Metamorphosis in amphibians, like frogs, happens in four main stages:

Egg: The life cycle starts when an adult frog lays eggs in water. Each egg has a tiny developing frog inside, protected by a jelly-like coating.
Tadpole: After hatching, the young frog is called a tadpole. It has gills to breathe underwater and a tail to swim but no legs yet. At this stage, it mostly eats plants and algae.
Tadpole with Legs: As the tadpole grows, it starts to develop back legs, then front legs. Its body also begins to change so it can live on land. The gills start to disappear, and lungs begin to form.
Adult Frog: In the final stage, the tail shortens and eventually disappears, and the lungs fully develop. The tadpole becomes an adult frog, ready to live on land and in water and eat insects.

This process of changing from egg to adult is called metamorphosis, allowing amphibians to adapt to both water and land environments as they grow.