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Amphibians: Different Types, Definition, Photos, and More

There are about 4,000 kinds of amphibians, including anurans, anurans, and anurans. Characteristics: 1. Need to spend its childhood in water. 2. It has a bone structure adapted to living on land, has limbs, moist skin, and many glands. 3. The body has no scales or body hair. 4. The tongue is bifurcated, inverted, and can extend outward. 5. Mating and fertilization occur in water. 6. Larvae breathe through gills, while adults breathe through skin, oral lining and lungs.


Amphibia is a type of vertebrate that can live both in water and on land, and is an important transitional group in the evolution from aquatic animals to terrestrial animals. Their life cycle usually includes two stages: aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults, so they are called "amphibians".

  • Scientific name: Amphibia

  • Main features:

    1. Moist skin: The skin is exposed and moist, which helps breathing.

    2. Amphibious: The larvae are mostly aquatic and breathe with gills; the adults are mostly terrestrial and breathe with lungs and skin.

    3. Oviparous: Most of them lay eggs in water, and the larvae develop in water.

    4. Poikilotherms: Body temperature changes with the environment.

    5. Inner ear and vocal organs: Amphibians can usually hear sounds, especially frogs can make sounds.

  • Ecological role:

    • Pest control: Prey on small invertebrates such as mosquitoes.

    • Important link in the food chain: Both predator and prey.

  • Evolutionary history:

    • Originated in the Devonian period about 350 million years ago, it is the earliest vertebrate adapted to terrestrial life.

    • Amphibians are the ancestors of reptiles and are also important links between aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Classification table of amphibians

Amphibians are mainly divided into three orders: Anura (frogs), Caudata (salamanders), and Apoda (caecilians).

Classification levelOrderFamilyGenusExamples
AnuraAnura (Anura)Ranidae (Ranidae)Rana (Rana)Frog, Rana


BufonidaeBufoAmerican toad, common toad


HylidaeHylaAmerican green tree frog, red-eyed tree frog


DendrobatidaePoison dart frog (Dendrobates)Blue poison dart frog, golden poison dart frog
CaudataCaudataSalamandridaeSalamandraFire salamander, eastern salamander


CryptobranchidaeAndriasChinese giant salamander (baby fish), Japanese giant salamander


PlethodontidaePlethodonRed-backed salamander
GymnophionaCaeciliidaeCaeciliaCaeciliacaecilian


water caeciliansFamily (Typhlonectidae)Genus (Typhlonectes)Water caecilians

Main characteristics and adaptations of amphibians

1. Body structure

  • Moist skin: The skin helps with water balance and gas exchange.

  • Differentiated limbs: Most amphibians have four limbs, which are suitable for swimming and jumping.

  • Evolution of the tail: Anura adults have no tail, Caudata adults retain their tail, and Apoda adults are worm-like.

2. Breathing method

  • Gill breathing: Larvae absorb oxygen through gills.

  • Lung and skin breathing: Adults mainly rely on lungs and skin for breathing.

3. Reproduction and development

  • Egg laying in water: eggs are mostly colloid and absorb water easily.

  • Metamorphosis: larvae undergo metamorphosis (such as tadpoles turning into frogs).

4. Environmental adaptation

Most amphibians live in humid environments, but a few species are adapted to dry areas or completely aquatic environments.

Evolutionary History of Amphibians

  1. Early Amphibians:

    • Amphibians originated in the Devonian period, and the earliest fossil records show that they evolved from lobe-finned fish.

    • With strong flippers and lungs, these early amphibians entered land life for the first time.

  2. Development and Diversification:

    • During the Carboniferous and Permian periods, amphibians rapidly diversified and occupied a variety of ecological niches.

    • The emergence of reptiles gradually replaced the dominance of amphibians.

  3. Modern amphibians:

    • Existing amphibians are descendants of ancient amphibian groups, including Anura, Caudata and Apoda.

Ecological Roles of Amphibians

  1. Pest Control:

    • Prey on insects and small invertebrates, controlling pest populations.

  2. Key Link in the Food Chain:

    • Provide food for birds, mammals and snakes.

  3. Ecological Health Indicators:

    • Highly sensitive to habitat changes and environmental pollution, it is an important indicator species of ecosystem health.

Amphibians are one of the oldest and most important vertebrates on Earth. Whether it is beautiful frogs, rare giant salamanders, or mysterious caecilians, they all show the diversity of life.

Urodela Anura Apoda
Paramesotriton zhijinensis

Paramesotriton zhijinensis

Paramesotriton zhijinensis

Urodela LC

Features：One of the rarest amphibians in the world

Zhijin newt is a new species named by Li Song, Zhao Haitao and others based on the specimens collected in Shuangyantang, Zhijin County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province, and established based on its morphological characteristics and molecular information. It is another species of newts in Guizhou Provin...

ANURA、Ranidae

ANURA、Ranidae

ANURA、Ranidae

Anura LC

Features：

The Hainan torrent frog is an amphibian of the Anura order, Ranidae family, and the genus Rana. The head is almost equal in length and width; the snout is short and high, protruding from the lower lip; the snout ridge is obvious, and the cheeks are almost vertical; the nostrils are located between t...

Glandirana minima

Glandirana minima

Glandirana minima,Little Gland Frog,Rana minimus

Anura LC

Features：Endemic to China, distributed in Fujian, China

The small glandular frog is an amphibian of the family Ranidae, living in small puddles, marsh ditches or grass beside terraces in hilly areas at an altitude of 110-550 meters. During the breeding season, male frogs often squat on the water plants or in the grass beside the ditch or puddle and call....

Odorrana wuchuanensis

Odorrana wuchuanensis

Odorrana wuchuanensis,Tadant

Anura LC

Features：It is an amphibian unique to China.

The stinking frog is a general term for frogs of the genus Rhacophoridae of the class Amphibia. There are about 50 known stinking frogs in the world, 30 of which are known in China. They are mainly distributed in the south of the Qinling Mountains. When the stinking frog is stimulated, the glands on...

Hong Kong Turbulent Frog

Hong Kong Turbulent Frog

Anura LC

Features：

Hong Kong torrent frog is endemic to China. The ecological environment quality of the frog's habitat has declined, and its population is very small. The skin on the back has many small warts, especially on the front and sides of the body; the skin on the abdomen is smooth.The frog lives in the r...

Andrias davidianus

Andrias davidianus

Chinese giant salamander, Chinese baby fish, giant salamander

Urodela LC

Features：The earliest fossil in the world was unearthed in Inner Mongolia, China, about 165 million years ago, so the Chinese giant salamander can be called a living fossil.

You may not know much about the Chinese giant salamander, but you must have heard of its alias, the giant salamander. This thing has a long history and is one of the living fossils.The earliest giant salamander fossil in the world was unearthed in Inner Mongolia, China. The fossil is 165 million yea...

Duttaphrynus melanostictus

Duttaphrynus melanostictus

black-rimmed toad, toad, clam

Anura LC

Features：The toad in common sayings mostly refers to the black-spotted toad (in Taiwan it also refers to the Pangu toad).

In 2006, the phylogenetic study of amphibians readjusted the original genus Bufo, and the black-rimmed toad was classified into a new genus Duttaphrynus, with the scientific name Duttaphrynus melanostictus, but the more common old name Bufo melanostictus is still used on the IUCN Red List.The main r...

Cynops orientalis

Cynops orientalis

Oriental Salamander, Chinese Fire Dragon, Brazilian Fire Dragon

Urodela LC

Features：Contains tetrodotoxin.

The appearance of the Oriental Salamander is similar to that of the Blue-tailed Salamander (Cynops cyanurus), but the Oriental Salamander has a flat or slightly raised back; the skin is smoother, the palms are prominent or not prominent; there is no orange-red spot below the eyes; the front half of...

Xenopus laevis

Xenopus laevis

African clawed frog, smooth clawed frog, African clawed frog

Anura LC

Features：Aquatic frog without a tongue.

The African clawed frog is an aquatic frog in South Africa and an important model organism.The African clawed frog has two faces: "angel and devil". In the medical community of the last century, it was praised as the "frog prince" and benefited countless women. It takes about 1-2...

Paramesotriton aurantius

Paramesotriton aurantius

Paramesotriton aurantius

Urodela LC

Features：Similar to the alpine newt.

The orange-backed newt is an amphibian of the family Salamandridae and the genus Acanthus. It lives in degraded secondary shrub forests near the top of the mountain, surrounded by tall grass and azaleas, and scattered with wetlands and still water ponds. The environment is humid and foggy most of th...

Echinotriton maxiquadratus

Echinotriton maxiquadratus

Echinotriton maxiquadratus

Urodela LC

Features：The head is wide and flat, with the width of the head greater than the length, and is approximately triangular. The body color is mostly black.

The alpine Acanthus salamander is an amphibian of the family Salamandridae and genus Acanthus. It lives in degraded secondary shrub forests near the top of the mountain, surrounded by tall grass and rhododendrons, and scattered wetlands and still water ponds. The environment is humid and foggy most...

Yaotriton ziegleri

Yaotriton ziegleri

Yaotriton ziegleri

Urodela LC

Features：

Cai's Yaoteng is an amphibian of the family Salamandridae and genus Yaoteng. The eggs form an egg mass around the pond, about 50-60cm from the edge of the pond, and there is no adult to protect the eggs. The larvae hatch on rainy days and then crawl to the pond. They complete metamorphosis after...

Yaotriton wenxianensis

Yaotriton wenxianensis

Yaotriton wenxianensis,

Urodela LC

Features：

Wenxian Yaoteng is an amphibian of the family Salamandridae and genus Yaoteng. It lives in mountainous areas with lush forests at an altitude of about 940m. It is mainly terrestrial and hibernates on land. Around May every year, adult newts move around and breed near still water ponds.It is listed i...

Yaotriton lizhenchangi

Yaotriton lizhenchangi

Yaotriton lizhenchangi

Urodela LC

Features：

The Mangshan Yaoteng is an amphibian of the family Salamandridae and the genus Yaoteng. It lives in mountainous areas at an altitude of 952-1200m and in densely vegetated forests in karst areas. Adults hide in caves during the day and are seen in puddles, wells or slow-flowing streams at night. It p...

Yaotriton liuyangensis

Yaotriton liuyangensis

Yaotriton liuyangensis

Urodela LC

Features：

Liuyang Yaozhi is an amphibian of the family Salamandridae and genus Yaozhi. It lives in mountainous areas with lush bushes and weeds at an altitude of 1,386m, and adults are mainly terrestrial. It breeds in still water ponds from May to June, laying about 47 eggs, which are spread flat in the grass...

Yaotriton hainanensis

Yaotriton hainanensis

Yaotriton hainanensis

Urodela LC

Features：

Hainan Yaoteng is an amphibian of the family Salamandridae and the genus Yaoteng. It lives in mountainous areas of tropical rain forests at an altitude of 770-950m. It reproduces around May and lays eggs under wet leaves on the banks of ponds in mountain depressions. The eggs are piled up, with 58-9...

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