The Nature of Things

Meet our Amphibians

What is an amphibian?

An amphibian is an animal that lives a “dual life” in the water and on the land.  Frogs, toads, and salamanders are all amphibians that lay clear jelly-like eggs in water.  When the babies hatch, they must live in the water because they have gills to breathe.  As they grow and change, they use their lungs to breathe which enables them to live on land as well as in the water.  Amphibians have very distinct and changing life cycles called metamorphosis.  These animals also absorb water through tiny pores in their skin.

     Our amphibians include:

           Fire Belly Toads

           African Clawed Frogs

           Tomato Frogs

                                                    Red Eye Tree Frogs

                                                    Red Legged Running Frog

                                                    African Bullfrog

                                                    White's Tree Frogs

                                                    American Toads

                                                    Yellow Barred Tiger Salamanders

                                                    Cane Toads

                                                    Poison Dart Frogs (very tiny)

**Please note that even though this is a comprehensive list of all of our animals, not all of these animals are appropriate to bring to programs.  In these cases, it is left to the discretion of the environmental educator**