AMPHIBIANS
Although amphibians look a little like scaly reptiles, they do not have waterproof skin, so cannot live in hot, dry places where they might dry out. Most hide away by day, and emerge only at night. They must also lay their eggs in ponds and other wet places, and many spend their early lives as aquatic tadpoles.
- COMMON FROG All amphibians eat live animals, which they hunt by sight. The frog on the left is leaping through the air to catch a ladybird, which it will snap up and swallow alive. Common frogs are able to lighten or darken their skins to blend in with their surroundings.
- TADPOLES Nearly all frogs start life in the water as tadpoles with long tails and no legs. Gradually they grow legs, hop out of the water, and their tails shrivel away.
- AFRICAN BULLFROG A mouse makes a tasty snack for a bullfrog, which will eat almost anything that moves.
- MIDWIFE TOAD Most frogs and toads lay their eggs in water, but the male midwife toad wraps the strings of eggs around his legs and looks after them until they are ready to hatch.
- FOAM-NESTING FROG Some tree frogs keep their eggs moist by laying them in a nest of wet foam high in the trees.
- POISON DART FROG Tiny tree frogs of American tropical forests are protected by powerful poisons on their skin. Some are so deadly that local people use them to make poison darts.
- MANDARIN SALAMANDER Salamanders and newts are rather like frogs with long tails. Some, like the Asian mandarin salamander, have vividly coloured skin that warns enemies that they are poisonous to eat.
- AUSTRALIAN TREE FROG Tree frogs have suckers on the tips of their toes so that they can cling to wet foliage. Most tree frogs only visit pools of water to breed.
- TOMATO FROG Many frogs and toads, like these tomato frogs, defend themselves by inflating their bodies with air so that they are harder to eat.
- CAECILIAN Worm-like caecilians burrow in tropical forests by pushing their bony heads through the soil. They have no legs and are almost blind.
- FOUR-EYED FROG A four-eyed frog has a pair of big eyespots on its back. If attacked, it turns its back and inflates its body so that it looks like a fierce animal.
- FIRE SALAMANDER Bright patterns warn predators that this salamander can spray a blinding poison up to 4 m (13 ft) through the air.
Picture Credit : Google
