Make a free reservation. There are more than 6, species of amphibians living today. This animal class includes toads and frogs, salamanders and newts, and caecilians. Almost all amphibians have thin, moist skin that helps them breathe. No other group of animals has this special skin. Most amphibians undergo a unique change from larvae to adults, called metamorphosis.
All amphibians are ectotherms what used to be called "cold-blooded" , a trait they share with invertebrates, fish, and reptiles. Most amphibians have thin skin that is very permeable allowing liquids and gases to pass through it easily. This is important for two reasons. First, it means that their skin helps them breathe, since oxygen passes easily through it.
Second, it means that amphibians lose a lot of water through their skin. This is why most amphibians are found in moist or humid environments, where they can re-load their water reserves. The word amphibian comes from the Greek word amphibios , meaning "a being with a double life. While dual residence is the rule for most amphibians, some species are strictly aquatic water-dwelling and some are strictly terrestrial land-dwelling.
More accurately, amphibians' "double life" refers to two distinct life stages -- a larval stage and an adult stage.
Most amphibians lay eggs, which hatch into larvae and undergo an amazing transformation or metamorphosis as they move from larval to adult stages. About Amphibians. Amphibians are small vertebrates that need water, or a moist environment, to survive. Latest Amphibian Videos. Now Playing. Up Next. Amphibians face mass extinction as fungus spreads across the world. Latest Amphibian Stories.
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See More. They are tetrapods, which means they have four limbs though some will lose their limbs as they develop. They are also ectotherms. That means their body temperatures vary with the environment around them. They look very different than their adult parents. The larvae have gills like fish. They get the oxygen they need from the water. But as a baby amphibian grows up, it undergoes metamorphosis — a dramatic body change. By the time the amphibian is an adult, it usually has lungs, not gills.
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