their prey whole.
Roles of Amphibians
Frogs are raised commercially as a food source (frog legs are a delicacy in China, France,
the Philippines, northern Greece and the American south, especially Louisiana). They are
used in cloning research and other branches of embryology, because they lack egg shells, and
therefore facilitate observations of early development. The African clawed frog or platanna
(Xenopus laevis) is used as amodel organism(a species that is extensively studied to
understand certain biological phenomena) in developmental biology, because it is easy to
raise in captivity and has a large and easily manipulated embryo. Many Xenopus genes have
been identified, isolated, and cloned as a result.
Many environmental scientists believe that amphibians, including frogs, are excellent bio-
logical indicators of broader ecosystem health because of their intermediate position in food
webs, theirpermeableskins, andtypicallybiphasiclife(aquaticlarvaeandterrestrialadults).
Amphibians also figure prominently in folklore, fairy tales and popular culture. Numerous
legends have developed over the centuries around the salamander (its name originates from
the Persian, for “fire” and “within) , many related to fire. This connection likely originates
from the tendency of many salamanders to dwell inside rotting logs. When placed into the
fire, salamanders would escape from the logs, lending to the belief that the salamander was
created from flames.
Associations of the salamander with fire appear in the Talmud (a collection of Jewish law
and tradition) and the Hadith (a traditional account of things said or done by Muhammad
or his companions), as well as in the writings of Conrad Lycosthenes ( a sixteenth cen-
tury humanist and encyclopedist), Benvenuto Cellini (a sixteenth century Italian goldsmith,
painter, sculptor, musician, and soldier), science fiction authors Ray Bradbury and David
Weber, Paracelsus (a fifteenth century alchemist, physician, and astrologer) and Leonardo
da Vinci.
In other representations in popular culture, salamanders are known as minor snake demons
according to some folklore; they, and frogs, appear as some characters in video games;
salamanders appear in anime series, and they were even the focus of a dance craze (the
Salamander Homp) in the early 1980’s. Frogs tend to be portrayed as benign, ugly, and
clumsy, but with hidden talents. Examples include Michigan J. Frog,The Frog Prince,and
Kermit the Frog.
The Moche people of ancient Peru worshiped animals and often depicted frogs and toads in
their art. The toad also appears as symbol and in story in Vietnamese culture.