The New Childrens Encyclopedia

AMPHIBIANS

101

Caecilian

Gymnopis multiplicata

Oriental fire-bellied frog
Bombina orientalis

Tiger

salamander

Ambystoma tigrinum

European

common frog

Rana temporaria

Emperor newt

Tylototriton shanjing

TAKE A LOOK: FROG FEET

Golden poison

dart frog
Phyllobates terribilis

■ Length 6–12 in (15–30 cm)

■ Weight 4–6 oz (100–150 g)

■ Location Most of North America

Like most amphibians, this large

salamander begins life in

water. Most metamorphose

into land-dwelling adults but

some manage to mature and breed

without ever leaving the water.

On land, tiger salamanders live

in grasslands or woodland edges,

where they hunt insects, worms,

and even mice and frogs.

u WEBBED FEET Common

frogs have webbed, flipperlike

hind feet to help them swim.

u DIRTY FEET Burrowing

frogs have strong feet for loosening

and shoveling soil.

u STICKY FEET Tree

frogs have sticky toe pads

to provide extra grip.

Amphibians usually live in

damp, humid, or sheltered

places, which helps them

keep their skin moist. Their

ability to swim, walk, hop,

climb, and even glide

means they are able to live

a wide variety of lifestyles.

The frogs shown here have

feet adapted to very

different habitats.

■ Length 21 ⁄ 4 –3^1 ⁄ 2 in (6–9 cm)

■ Weight 1–1^1 ⁄ 4 oz (25–35 g)

■ Location Europe

A familiar animal in Europe, the common

frog lives and breeds in pools and damp

places. In climates with harsh winters it

may hibernate for several months in a

moist burrow or in mud at the bottom

of a pool. Prey, including slugs, worms,

and insects, are whipped

into the frog’s

large mouth

with its sticky

tongue.

■ Length 11 ⁄ 4 –1^3 ⁄ 4 in (3–4.5 cm)
■ Weight 1 ⁄ 8 –^1 ⁄ 4 oz (3–5 g)
■ Location Colombia, South America

This frog’s striking colors carry a serious
warning. The toxin that secretes from glands
in its skin is the most deadly poison produced
by any vertebrate animal, and predators will
avoid contact with
the frog at all costs.
There are three
varieties of poison
dart frog—gold (like
this one), green,
and orange.

■ Length 13 ⁄ 4 –3^1 ⁄ 4 in (4–8 cm)
■ Weight 3 ⁄ 4 –1 oz (20–30 g)
■ Location China, Russia, and Korea

The magnificent colors of the fire-bellied
frog earn the species its name and warn
predators about the poison glands in its skin.
The frogs live in humid forests and spend
most of their time wallowing in shallow
water. Their vision is limited to detecting
movement, so potential
prey that does not
move may be lucky
and get away.

■ Length 20 in (50 cm)

■ Weight Exact weight unknown

■ Location Tropical forests

This strange legless and eyeless

creature belongs to the smallest group

of amphibians, the caecilians. They spend

their lives burrowing through the warm,

damp leaf litter or soil of tropical forests.

Earthworms happen to be the caecilian’s

favorite prey, which they hunt by smell,

using short tentacles to pick up the

earthworm’s faint chemical signals.

Rather than spawning eggs, this species

gives birth to live young that look like

miniature adults.

■ Length 20 in (17 cm)

■ Weight Exact weight unknown

■ Location Yunnan Province, China

This handsome newt is at risk in its native

China, where it is collected for food, the

pet trade, and for use in traditional

medicine. Adults live on land most of the

year, but return to the shallow pool where

they were born to find a mate and lay eggs,

which are deposited carefully on water

weeds. The name “shanjing” means

mountain spirit in

Mandarin.

2–5 5–8 16

(^20)??
LIVING WORLD