Guide Amphibians

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Amphibians are ectothermic, tetrapod vertebrates of the class Amphibia. Modern amphibians are all Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with  Clade‎: ‎Batrachomorpha.
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• Alerts In Effect
• Amphibians - Slimy Is Good
• Amphibians
• Local animals in this group:
• What are amphibians? - BBC Bitesize

Twenty-four reptiles live and breed in Massachusetts 10 turtles, 14 snakes , and an additional five species of sea turtles annually visit our coast. Mass Audubon has a longstanding interest in the protection of amphibian and reptile populations in Massachusetts.

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Our Herp Atlas used volunteers to record the distribution of reptile and amphibian species across the Commonwealth. We monitor vernal pools that are obligate habitat for a number of salamanders and frogs and have a program to restore and create vernal pools on our sanctuaries. All amphibians are predators on other animals and will often eat any animal that is small enough to be swallowed whole. Most can only eat invertebrates, but some larger amphibians will eat small fish, other amphibians, or even small mammals.

All amphibians are cold-blooded, like fish, snakes, lizards, and turtles.

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Cold-blooded means that the animals cannot control their temperature with body heat, and must use the heat of the sun or their environment to stay warm. Most amphibians live on the ground in wetlands or forests, but some live up in trees, and a few species can survive in deserts and other dry habitats. Most kinds of amphibians live in warm, damp climates, only a few kinds can survive in Michigan. Many woodland salamanders lay clutches of eggs under dead logs or stones on land. The black mountain salamander Desmognathus welteri does this, the mother brooding the eggs and guarding them from predation as the embryos feed on the yolks of their eggs.

Amphibians - Slimy Is Good

When fully developed, they break their way out of the egg capsules and disperse as juvenile salamanders. The male then guards the site for the two or three months before the eggs hatch, using body undulations to fan the eggs and increase their supply of oxygen. The male Colostethus subpunctatus , a tiny frog, protects the egg cluster which is hidden under a stone or log.

When the eggs hatch, the male transports the tadpoles on his back, stuck there by a mucous secretion, to a temporary pool where he dips himself into the water and the tadpoles drop off. He keeps them moist and when they are ready to hatch, he visits a pond or ditch and releases the tadpoles. The tadpoles secrete a hormone that inhibits digestion in the mother whilst they develop by consuming their very large yolk supply. When they hatch, the male carries the tadpoles around in brood pouches on his hind legs. Its eggs are laid on the forest floor and when they hatch, the tadpoles are carried one by one on the back of an adult to a suitable water-filled crevice such as the axil of a leaf or the rosette of a bromeliad.

The female visits the nursery sites regularly and deposits unfertilised eggs in the water and these are consumed by the tadpoles. With a few exceptions, adult amphibians are predators , feeding on virtually anything that moves that they can swallow. The diet mostly consists of small prey that do not move too fast such as beetles, caterpillars, earthworms and spiders. The sirens Siren spp. It projects it with the tip foremost whereas other frogs flick out the rear part first, their tongues being hinged at the front.

Amphibians

Food is mostly selected by sight, even in conditions of dim light. Movement of the prey triggers a feeding response. Frogs have been caught on fish hooks baited with red flannel and green frogs Rana clamitans have been found with stomachs full of elm seeds that they had seen floating past. This response is mostly secondary because salamanders have been observed to remain stationary near odoriferous prey but only feed if it moves. Cave-dwelling amphibians normally hunt by smell.

Some salamanders seem to have learned to recognize immobile prey when it has no smell, even in complete darkness. Amphibians usually swallow food whole but may chew it lightly first to subdue it. The base and crown of these are composed of dentine separated by an uncalcified layer and they are replaced at intervals. Salamanders, caecilians and some frogs have one or two rows of teeth in both jaws, but some frogs Rana spp.

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In many amphibians there are also vomerine teeth attached to a facial bone in the roof of the mouth. The tiger salamander Ambystoma tigrinum is typical of the frogs and salamanders that hide under cover ready to ambush unwary invertebrates. Others amphibians, such as the Bufo spp. The struggles of the prey and further jaw movements work it inwards and the caecilian usually retreats into its burrow. The subdued prey is gulped down whole. When they are newly hatched, frog larvae feed on the yolk of the egg.

When this is exhausted some move on to feed on bacteria, algal crusts, detritus and raspings from submerged plants. Water is drawn in through their mouths, which are usually at the bottom of their heads, and passes through branchial food traps between their mouths and their gills where fine particles are trapped in mucus and filtered out.

Others have specialised mouthparts consisting of a horny beak edged by several rows of labial teeth. They scrape and bite food of many kinds as well as stirring up the bottom sediment, filtering out larger particles with the papillae around their mouths.

Local animals in this group:

Some, such as the spadefoot toads, have strong biting jaws and are carnivorous or even cannibalistic. The calls made by caecilians and salamanders are limited to occasional soft squeaks, grunts or hisses and have not been much studied. A clicking sound sometimes produced by caecilians may be a means of orientation, as in bats, or a form of communication. Most salamanders are considered voiceless, but the California giant salamander Dicamptodon ensatus has vocal cords and can produce a rattling or barking sound. Some species of salamander emit a quiet squeak or yelp if attacked.

Frogs are much more vocal, especially during the breeding season when they use their voices to attract mates. The presence of a particular species in an area may be more easily discerned by its characteristic call than by a fleeting glimpse of the animal itself. In most species, the sound is produced by expelling air from the lungs over the vocal cords into an air sac or sacs in the throat or at the corner of the mouth.

What are amphibians? - BBC Bitesize

This may distend like a balloon and acts as a resonator, helping to transfer the sound to the atmosphere, or the water at times when the animal is submerged. This call is modified to a quieter courtship call on the approach of a female or to a more aggressive version if a male intruder draws near.

Calling carries the risk of attracting predators and involves the expenditure of much energy. When a frog is attacked, a distress or fright call is emitted, often resembling a scream. Little is known of the territorial behaviour of caecilians, but some frogs and salamanders defend home ranges. These are usually feeding, breeding or sheltering sites.

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Males normally exhibit such behaviour though in some species, females and even juveniles are also involved. Although in many frog species, females are larger than males, this is not the case in most species where males are actively involved in territorial defence. Some of these have specific adaptations such as enlarged teeth for biting or spines on the chest, arms or thumbs. In salamanders, defence of a territory involves adopting an aggressive posture and if necessary attacking the intruder. This may involve snapping, chasing and sometimes biting, occasionally causing the loss of a tail.

The behaviour of red back salamanders Plethodon cinereus has been much studied. Much of their behaviour seemed stereotyped and did not involve any actual contact between individuals. An aggressive posture involved raising the body off the ground and glaring at the opponent who often turned away submissively. If the intruder persisted, a biting lunge was usually launched at either the tail region or the naso-labial grooves.

Damage to either of these areas can reduce the fitness of the rival, either because of the need to regenerate tissue or because it impairs its ability to detect food.

In frogs, male territorial behaviour is often observed at breeding locations; calling is both an announcement of ownership of part of this resource and an advertisement call to potential mates. In general, a deeper voice represents a heavier and more powerful individual, and this may be sufficient to prevent intrusion by smaller males. Much energy is used in the vocalization and it takes a toll on the territory holder who may be displaced by a fitter rival if he tires.