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Introduction

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Selected amphibian type

Spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum

Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela from the group Caudata. Urodela is a scientific Latin term based on the Ancient Greek οὐρά δήλη: ourà dēlē "conspicuous tail". Caudata is the Latin for "tailed ones", from cauda : "tail".

Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species present in the Neotropical realm. Salamanders never have more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs, but some species have fewer digits and others lack hind limbs. Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool, damp places. Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout their lives, some take to the water intermittently, and others are entirely terrestrial as adults.

This group of amphibians is capable of regenerating lost limbs as well as other damaged parts of their bodies. Researchers hope to reverse engineer the regenerative processes for potential human medical applications, such as brain and spinal cord injury treatment or preventing harmful scarring during heart surgery recovery. The remarkable ability of salamanders to regenerate is not just limited to limbs but extends to vital organs such as the heart, jaw, and parts of the spinal cord, showing their uniqueness compared to different types of vertebrates. ⁤⁤This ability is most remarkable for occurring without any type of scarring. ⁤⁤This has made salamanders an invaluable model organism in scientific research aimed at understanding and achieving regenerative processes for medical advancements in human and animal biology. (Full article...)

Selected frog article

The Calyptocephalellidae are a family of toads (although not true members of the Bufonidae) found in Chile containing two living genera, Calyptocephalella and Telmatobufo.

The genus Calyptocephalella contains one living species, the helmeted water toad (C. gayi), which is very large and mostly aquatic. The genus Telmatobufo contains four species, T. australis, T. bullocki, T. ignotus, and T. venustus. All five living species within the family are considered threatened, with T. bullocki and T. venustus being classified as critically endangered.

The family has been present in southern South America since the Late Cretaceous and were present in the Antarctic Peninsula during the Eocene. While originally widespread in Patagonia east of the Andes, they later became extinct in this region after the Late Miocene, likely due to increasingly cold and arid conditions. A particularly large indeterminate fossil species is known from the Eocene of southern Chile. (Full article...)

Selected salamander article

Tiger salamander

Ambystomatidae is a family of salamanders belonging to the Suborder Salamandroidea in the class Amphibia. It contains two genera, Ambystoma (the mole salamanders) and Dicamptodon (the Pacific giant salamanders). Ambystoma contains 32 species and are distributed widely across North America, while Dicamptodon contains four species restricted to the Pacific Northwest. These salamanders are mostly terrestrial and eat invertebrates, although some species are known to eat smaller salamanders. They can be found throughout the US and some areas of Canada in damp forests or plains. This family contains some of the largest terrestrial salamanders in the world, the tiger salamander and the coastal giant salamander. Some species are toxic and can secrete poison from their bodies as protection against predators or infraspecific competition. Neoteny has been observed in several species in Ambystomatidae, and some of them like the axolotl live all of their lives under water in their larval stage. (Full article...)

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Picture slideshow

Image 1Fire salamander
Image 2Fire salamander
Image 3Common toads during amplexus
Image 4Phantasmal poison frog
Image 5New England tree frog
Image 6White-lipped tree frog
Image 7Magnificent tree frog
Image 8Dendropsophus microcephalus
Image 9Agile frog
Image 10Agalychnis callidryas
Image 11Poison dart frog
Image 12Blue Mountains tree frog
Image 13Common frog
Image 14American toad
Image 15Atelopus certus
Image 16Albanian water frog
Image 17Panamanian golden frog
Image 18Blue poison dart frog
Image 19Ecnomiohyla rabborum
Image 20Fire-bellied toad
Image 21Balearic green toad
Image 22Limnodynastes dumerilii
Image 23Surprise, its an amphibian. This is a genus of South American Caecilians, blind and snake-like, which hunt through leaf litter. Photo from Wildsumaco Reserve, Ecuador.
Image 24Leaf green tree frog
Image 25Epirus water frog
Image 26Duttaphrynus melanostictus
Image 27Male Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris aka Triturus vulgaris) during breeding season in the Netherlands.
Image 28Limosa harlequin frog
Image 29Emerald-eyed tree frog
Image 30Fire salamander
Image 31Iberian midwife toad
Image 32Lithobates clamitans
Image 33Eastern newt
Image 34Golden toad
Image 35Frogs
Image 36Litoria chloris
Image 37Italian tree frog
Image 38Marsh frog
Image 39Spanish painted frog
Image 40Edible Frog
Image 41Southern Brown tree frog

Selected toad article

The bleeding toad, fire toad or Indonesian tree toad (Leptophryne cruentata) is a species of true toad in the amphibian family Bufonidae, endemic to Java, Indonesia. L. javanica was, formerly, synonymous with the bleeding toad prior to its description as a distinct species in 2018, although the degree of differentiation between these species is low. The bleeding toad is listed as a critically endangered species due to a drastic population decline. The factors behind this decline are unclear, but appear consistent (despite ambiguous observations) with the global spread of chytrid fungus, a particularly lethal fungal spore for frogs and toads; once infected, the animals develop a condition known as chytridiomycosis before ultimately dying. it is estimated there are less than 250 individuals of the species. (Full article...)

Selected caecilian article

Chikilidae is a family of Indian caecilians, the 10th and most recent (2012) family of caecilians (legless amphibians) to be identified, although the type species, Chikila fulleri (formerly Herpele fulleri) was first described in 1904. The discovery that this was a separate lineage resulted from genetic analyses of specimens collected during about 250 soil-digging expeditions over five years that covered every Northeast Indian state. A team of biologists led by University of Delhi herpetologist Sathyabhama Das Biju described the family as representing as many as seven species apparently endemic to the region. In September 2012, some of these species were also found in Lawachara National Park in the Sylhet region of northeastern Bangladesh. The family's lineage is believed to have originated in Africa, where their closest living relatives are found.

Chikilids grow to about 4 in (10 cm) in length. They have very limited eyesight and skulls adapted for burrowing. Their eggs hatch into adult caecilians, with no larval stage in between. The mothers stay wrapped around their developing eggs for two to three months, apparently not eating at all during this period.

Until this discovery, only nine families of caecilians were known from across the wet tropical regions of Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, parts of East and West Africa, the Seychelles, Central America and northern and eastern parts of South America. From morphological and DNA analyses, the researchers concluded the new family had evolved independently of other caecilians since the time of the dinosaurs. (Full article...)