Amphibian

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amphibian : any of a class (Amphibia) of cold-blooded vertebrates (such as frogs, toads, or salamanders) intermediate in many characters between fish and reptiles and having gilled aquatic larvae and air-breathing adults — Merriam-Webster See also OneLook

Thesaurus

Roget’s II (Thesaurus.com), Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, Visuwords

Encyclopedia

Amphibians are vertebrates that is four-limbed and ectothermic of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are ecological indicators; in recent decades there has been a dramatic decline in amphibian populations for many species. — Wikipedia

Amphibian (Encyclopædia Britannica)

Amphibians (David B. Wake & Michelle S. Koo, Current Biology)
Meet Amphibians (AmphibiaWeb, University of California, Berkeley)
AmphibiaWeb’s Illustrated Amphibians of the Earth (AmphibiaWeb, University of California, Berkeley)
AmphibiaWeb (YouTube Channel)

Amphibian Species of the World (Darrel Frost & American Museum of Natural History)

Amphibians (One Zoom)
Amphibia (Catalogue of Life)
Amphibian (WolframAlpha)

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Innovation

Science

Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras). Birds, which are cladistically included within Reptilia, are traditionally excluded here; the scientific study of birds is the subject of ornithology. Thus, the definition of herpetology can be more precisely stated as the study of ectothermic (cold-blooded) tetrapods. Under this definition “herps” (or sometimes “herptiles” or “herpetofauna”) exclude fish, but it is not uncommon for herpetological and ichthyological scientific societies to collaborate. — Wikipedia

Herpetology (Encyclopædia Britannica)

126 Questions with Answers in Herpetology (Research Gate)

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Preservation

Conservation

Amphibians (Defenders of Wildlife)

Library

DDC: 597.8 Amphibia, Amphibians (Library Thing)
Subject: Amphibians (Library Thing)

Subject: Amphibians (Open Library)

LCC: QL 667 Amphibians (UPenn Online Books)
Subject: Amphibians (UPenn Online Books)

LCC: QL 667 Amphibians (Library of Congress)
Subject: Amphibians (Library of Congress)

Subject: Amphibians (WorldCat)

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Participation

Education

Amphibians (Science Trek)
Amphibians (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers)
Amphibians – Slimy Is Good (Biology4Kids)

MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources

Community

More News …

Frogs and Reptiles News -- ScienceDaily Snakes, lizards, alligators, frogs and toads. From habitat information to frogs in stem cell research, you will find all the reptile and amphibian news here.

24 new deep-sea species found including a rare...
on March 25, 2026 at 11:20 am
In a remarkable deep-sea breakthrough, researchers have discovered 24 new species of amphipods in the Pacific’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone—including a rare, entirely new superfamily. The findings reveal previously unknown branches of life and push the boundaries of how deep these creatures are known to live.
This crocodile ran like a greyhound across...
on March 21, 2026 at 8:57 am
A newly discovered Triassic reptile from the UK looked more like a racing greyhound than a crocodile, built for speed on land. With long legs and a lightweight body, it hunted small animals in a dry, upland environment millions of years ago. Scientists identified it as a new species after spotting key differences in its fossils. It’s also a tribute to an inspiring teacher who helped spark a future scientist’s curiosity.
Scientists discover hidden species among...
on March 9, 2026 at 9:57 am
DNA is revealing that many animals once thought to be a single species may actually be several hidden ones. But research on Bornean fanged frogs shows the line between species can be blurry—an important challenge when deciding what wildlife needs protection most.
For every known vertebrate species, two more may...
on March 3, 2026 at 11:49 am
Earth’s vertebrate diversity may be far richer than anyone realized. A sweeping analysis of more than 300 studies suggests that for every known fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, or mammal species, there are about two nearly identical “cryptic” species hiding in plain sight—genetically distinct but visually almost impossible to tell apart. Thanks to advances in DNA sequencing, scientists are uncovering these long-separated lineages, some evolving independently for over a million years.
Textbooks challenged by new discovery about how...
on February 28, 2026 at 2:33 pm
Scientists have uncovered a surprising new way that giant embryonic cells divide—without relying on the classic “purse-string” ring long thought essential for splitting a cell in two. Studying zebrafish embryos, researchers found that instead of forming a fully closed contractile ring, cells use a clever “mechanical ratchet” system.

Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.

Oxygen sensing helps explain why amphibians...
on April 9, 2026 at 6:00 pm
Some animals can regrow lost body parts. Salamanders and frog tadpoles can rebuild entire limbs after amputation. Mammals cannot. For decades, biologists have tried to understand why. Now a team led by Can Aztekin at EPFL (now at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society) has discovered that oxygen plays a crucial role in limb regeneration. By comparing amputated limbs from frog tadpoles and embryonic mice, the researchers found that the way cells sense oxygen determines […]
New glassfrog species named for first Ecuadorian...
on April 8, 2026 at 6:00 pm
Researchers have discovered a new species of glassfrog in Ecuador—the Dajomes glassfrog—named after Neisi Dajomes, the first Ecuadorian woman to receive an Olympic gold medal, which she won in Tokyo 2020 in women's 76 kg weightlifting. Mylena Masache, a Biology student of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, and colleagues describe the frog in a new study published April 8, 2026 in the journal PLOS One.
The oldest breath: A 300-million-year-old mummy...
on April 8, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Every breath you take is an ancient inheritance. The rise and fall of your chest, the intercostal muscles pulling your ribs outward, the rush of air into your lungs—this mechanism is so familiar it barely registers as remarkable. But a tiny, mummified reptile that died in an Oklahoma cave roughly 289 million years ago has revealed the oldest example of this breathing system in amniotes—a group that includes all reptiles, birds, mammals, and their common ancestors, among the first to conquer […]
AI makes rewilding look tame—and misses its...
on April 4, 2026 at 11:30 pm
Humans have always imagined the natural world. From Ice Age cave paintings to the modern day, we depict the animals and landscapes we value—and ignore those we don't.
Want to be a citizen scientist? Here are five...
on April 2, 2026 at 9:40 pm
Ever wondered what it might feel like to spot giant spider crabs while you're snorkeling? Or check plants for the circular holes that indicate native bees are collecting nest materials? Citizen science relies on people like you—more than a million of them in Australia, actually—to collect and analyze valuable data about the world around us.