Amphibians are a major clade of tetrapod vertebrates (class Amphibia) encompassing anurans (frogs and toads), caudates (salamanders and newts), and gymnophionans (caecilians). They are characterized by permeable, glandular skin that plays key roles in osmoregulation, gas exchange, and secretion of bioactive peptides, making them sensitive bioindicators of environmental change. Most species exhibit biphasic life histories with aquatic, gilled larvae and terrestrial, lung-breathing adults, though direct development and paedomorphosis also occur. Amphibians occupy pivotal positions in trophic networks and evolutionary biology, representing the earliest diverging extant lineage of tetrapods and providing critical models for studies of metamorphosis, regeneration, endocrine disruption, and emerging infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis.
Exotic marsh frogs from distant lands are colonizing the south-east of the Netherlands. This has been demonstrated by biology students from Leiden University faculty. Although the amphibians thrive in the little country, ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 22, 2025
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Reptiles could overtake amphibians as the highest priority for conservation among vertebrates as threats like climate change and invasive species worsen in the future, according to a new conservation index tool developed ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 21, 2025
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Modern toads (Bufonidae) are among the most successful amphibians on the planet, a diverse group of more than 600 species that are found on every continent except Antarctica. But just how did they conquer the world? An international ...
Scientists have discovered a new species of poisonous frog—brightly colored and measuring just a few millimeters—in the Amazon, according to a Peruvian government agency in charge of environmental conservation.
Plants & Animals
Oct 7, 2025
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A team of researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) has uncovered how a common color variation in frogs has helped them thrive and diversify for millions of years.
Evolution
Sep 16, 2025
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Frogs, toads, salamanders and other amphibians are disappearing as fast as—or faster than—any other class of animals around the world, succumbing to a variety of threats, like emerging infectious diseases. According to new ...
Ecology
Sep 15, 2025
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Female treefrogs prefer a mate with an impressive call, but the crowded environments give unattractive males an edge, according to a new international study led by Assistant Professor Jessie Tanner of the University of Tennessee, ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 10, 2025
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Southern Cross University has successfully made the first-ever release of captively reared mountain frogs in a remote area of Gondwana Rainforest near the NSW/Qld border, in Australia.
Plants & Animals
Sep 10, 2025
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The tongues of chameleons and salamanders might not seem like the inspiration for tomorrow's engineering breakthroughs, but inside the Deban Laboratory at the University of South Florida, biology and engineering are colliding ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 8, 2025
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An international research team has developed an innovative model that explains how elongated amphibious animals—such as eels—coordinate movement both in water and on land. Their study is published in the Proceedings of the ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 5, 2025
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