Amphibians are cold-blooded (ectothermic) vertebrates. Their body temperature stays at or near the temperature of the ground or air. All the amphibian species you will learn about here, will grow from an egg to a juvenile while underwater. While they are in that aquatic form, they have no lungs; they must get oxygen from the water. When they change form (metamorphose) into an adult, they acquire lungs that can get oxygen from the air.
Many amphibians must keep their skin moist even after they migrate away from the vernal pools as adults. Mammal burrows offer a damp place to hide and hunt for spiders, insects and other prey. What reptiles might also be hiding and hunting for amphibians there?
Scientific names:Pseudacris regilla Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Family: Ranidae Habitat: vernal pool grasslands, ponds and other still waters
Mr. Toad was dropped off at an area pet shop after having been in captivity for many years. When wild animals are kept in captivity for so long, they often lose their ability to survive in the wild, so Mr. Toad found a permanent home at Splash…
For 2 billion years, bacteria were the only creatures on Earth. Long before the dinosaurs, a special type of bacteria slowly increased the level of oxygen in the Earth’s air to 20 percent. Without this oxygen other plants and animals could not have evolved, including us.
