Which animals are amphibians and where are they found

They are vertebrate animals that have a life cycle that alternates aquatic and terrestrial phases. The diversity of habitats in which they live is limited by this alternation of cycles and by the fact that their cold blood does not allow them to have a stable body temperature, which is why they are rare in very cold habitats. This is the reason why amphibians are not found living in Antarctica or the Arctic, although fossils have been found in these environments, for which there is evidence that in the past they were able to inhabit these environments.

We classify amphibians into three orders , which have different adaptive needs, so although they can inhabit the same habitats, they sometimes live in different biomes. These three orders are:

• Order gymnophiona (or apodal amphibians): includes amphibians of great size and without limbs, such as caecilians or tapaculos. Apods are the worst cold-tolerant amphibians, which is why they almost always inhabit tropical and subtropical regions.
• Order Anura : amphibians that have legs (but do not have a tail), such as frogs or toads.
• Order Caudata : include salamanders, newts, and axolotls.

As we mentioned, amphibians that live in colder habitats are very rare . However, it is possible to find some, mainly anurans and salamanders . An exceptional case is that of the Siberian salamander ( Salamandrella keyserlingii ), which lives in the northern part of Siberia (which we can see in the image below), or the forest frog ( Lithobates sylvaticus ), which lives in the northernmost area. North America (Alaska and Canada).

Since amphibians are cold-blooded animals, they show some adaptations to cold climates, such as hibernating under ice during winter or the presence of antifreeze substances inside the cells of their body.

The temperature in the taiga or boreal forest area is still cold, although somewhat less, so we find more species of amphibians. Some examples are the green frog ( Pelophylax perezi ), leopard frog ( Lithobates pipiens ), forest frog ( Lithobates sylvaticus ), American toad ( Anaxyrus americanus ), blue- spotted salamander ( Ambystoma laterale ), common salamander ( Salamandra salamandra ) or the Eastern newt ( Notophthalmus viridescens ).

The steppe, the savannah or the desert are dry biomes and not very favorable for the life of amphibians. This is because they represent areas with a lot of water scarcity and amphibians need fresh water to develop their larval stages. However, some anurans have developed adaptations to live in these climates, and in fact only anurans are found in these parts of the world among amphibians.

Some examples of these adaptations are the retention of urine so as not to lose water and create an osmotic gradient that allows it to absorb water through its skin or inhabit the subsoil, where they accumulate water, and leaving only to accumulate more water in times of rain. . Some species of this type of habitat are the red dot toad ( Anaxyrus punctatus ), the green toad ( Bufotes viridis ), spur toad ( Pelobates cultripes ), Mexican burrowing toad ( Rhinophrynus dorsalis ) or the running toad ( Epidalea calamita ).

These are areas with more temperate climates and a greater abundance of fresh water, so it is not difficult to find amphibians. In these areas we find frogs, toads, salamanders and newts , such as the spur toad ( Pelobates cultripes ), common toad ( Bufo bufo ), green frog ( Pelophylax perezi ), San Antonio frog ( Hyla arborea ), common salamander ( Salamandra salamandra ) or the marbled newt ( Triturus marmoratus ).

Discover in this other article more Animals that live in the temperate forest .

These represent the areas closest to the equator and where amphibians are most abundant , because the high temperatures and rainfall make it a favorable habitat for these animals. As for anurans, frogs are more common than toads, many of which are poisonous or have striking colors, since frogs tolerate arid climates better. Some examples are the red-eyed frog ( Agalychnis callidryas ) or the arrowhead frog ( Dendrobatidae sp. ).

In addition, many species of apodes or caecilians inhabit these areas, although they are a very difficult group to study, since they live underground, on leaf beds or in soft soil.

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