Amphibians are small vertebrates that need water, or a moist environment, to survive. All can breathe and absorb water through their very thin skin.
Amphibians are a class of cold-blooded vertebrates made up of frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (wormlike animals with poorly developed eyes). All amphibians spend part of their lives in water and part on land, which is how they earned their name—“amphibian” comes from a Greek word meaning “double life.” These animals are born with gills, and while some outgrow them as they transform into adults, others retain them for their entire lives.
Amphibians are the most threatened class of animals in nature. They are extremely susceptible to environmental threats because of their porous eggs and semipermeable skin. Every major threat, from climate change to pollution to disease, affects amphibians and has put them at serious risk.
Amphibians lay jelly-covered eggs, called spawn, usually in still, fresh water, often among water plants. The resulting young, known as tadpoles – which at first look like legless blobs with tails – are aquatic and have feathery, external gills, but soon develop lungs and legs and leave the water. Adult amphibians spend most of their life on land, usually in damp habitats, only returning to the water to breed in the spring. A few species may be found in water at almost any time of year.
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