| Amphibians |
| The contemporary amphibians are divided into three orders: Anura (the frogs and toads), Caudata (the salamanders), and Gymnophiona (the caecilians). The majority of species are tropical, and nearly 90% are frogs. Many new species are discovered each year, over one hundred per year, on average. According to AmphibiaWeb (http://amphibiaweb.org/) there were 8,653 living species of amphibians as of June 2023. Amphibians inhabit a wide variety of habitats. Although people usually associate amphibians with freshwater wetlands, at least during breeding period, many species are entirely terrestrial, fossorial, or even arboreal. The majority of amphibians require water for laying eggs and larval development, before a larva undergoes metamorphosis to become an air-breathing adult. However, many terrestrial species have direct development, with larvae undergoing metamorphosis within eggs laid in moist places on land. Some salamanders reach sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis, retaining external or internal gills throughout their life cycle. On the other hand, some terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin for gas exchange. We are re-building our library, and amphibian pages will be restored after completion of "Mammals", "Reptiles", "Fishes" and "Flowering Plants". If you are interested in images of amphibians please check the “Amphibian Species in Our Collection” for the list of available species; restored and new amphibian accounts will be linked to this list. We could also upload images of species you are interested in upon inquiry. |
| Anura (Frogs and Toads) |
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| Caudata (Salamanders and Newts) |
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| Unauthorized use of our images is NOT permitted. | ||
| Hotlinking or "pinning" of our images to websites is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. | ||
| Copyright © Michael Patrikeev - All Rights Reserved | ||
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