Meet 12 Interesting Amphibians

Amphibians are soft-skinned creatures that stay near watery habitats much like the ones their ancestors stepped out of over 365 million years ago. Browse a collection of pictures and photographs of 12 interesting amphibians, including frogs and toads, caecilians, and newts and salamanders.

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Axolotl

The axolotl is a salamander native to Lake Xochimilco in central Mexico. Axolotl larvae do not undergo metamorphosis when they reach maturity. Instead, they retain gills and remain entirely aquatic.

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Painted Reed Frog

Tier Images/Getty Images

The painted reed frog is a native to the eastern and southern parts of Africa where it inhabits temperate forests, savannas, and scrublands. Painted reed frogs are small to medium-sized frogs with a curved snout and toepads on each toe. The toe pads of the painted reed frog enable it to cling to plant and grass stems. Painted reed frogs are colorful frogs with a variety of brightly-colored patterns and markings.

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California Newt

Jerry Kirkhart/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

The California newt inhabits coastal regions of California as well as the Sierra Nevadas. This newt produces tetrodotoxin, a potent toxin also produced by pufferfish and harlequin frogs. There is no known antidote for tetrodotoxin.

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Red-Eyed Tree Frog

Dan Mihai/Getty Images

The red-eyed tree frog belongs to a diverse group of frogs known as the new world tree frogs. Red-eyed tree frogs are superb climbers. They have toepads that enable them to cling to a variety of surfaces, such as the underside of leaves or the trunks of trees. They are recognizable for their bright red eyes, a coloration that is believed to be an adaptation to their nocturnal habits.

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Fire Salamander

Raimund Linke/Getty Images

The fire salamander is black with yellow spots or yellow stripes and inhabits the deciduous forests of southern and central Europe. Fire salamanders often take cover in leaves on the forest floor or on the mossy covered trunks of trees. They stay within a safe distance of streams or ponds, which they rely on as breeding and brooding grounds. They are most active at night, although they are sometimes active during the day as well.

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Golden Toad

Charles H. Smith/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

The golden toad lived in the montane cloud forests outside the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. The species is thought to be extinct, as it has not been seen since 1989. Golden toads, also known as Monte Verde toads or orange toads, have come to represent the decline of amphibians worldwide. The golden toad was a member of the true toads, a group that includes some 500 species.

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Leopard Frog

Ryan Hodnett/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Leopard frogs belong to the genus Rana, a group of frogs that inhabit tropical and subtropical regions of North America and Mexico. Leopard frogs are green with distinct black spots.

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Banded Bullfrog

Pavel Kirillov from St.Petersburg, Russia/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0

The banded bullfrog is a frog native to southeast Asia. It inhabits forests and rice fields. When threatened, it can "puff up" so that it appears larger than normal and secretes a toxic substance from its skin.

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Green Tree Frog

fotographia.net.au/Getty Images

The green tree frog is a large frog that is native to Australia and New Guinea. Its color varies depending on the temperature of the surrounding air and ranges from brown to green. The green tree frog is also known as the White's tree frog or the dumpy tree frog. Green tree frogs are a large species of tree frog, measuring as much as 4 1/2 inches long. Female green tree frogs are usually larger than males.

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Smooth Newt

Paul Wheeler Photography/Getty Images

The smooth newt is a species of newt common throughout many parts of Europe.

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Mexican Burrowing Cacilian

Pedro H. Bernardo/Getty Images

The black caecilian is a limbless amphibian that is found in Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil.

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Tyler's Tree Frog

LiquidGhoul at English Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Tyler's tree frog, also known as the southern laughing tree frog, is a tree frog that lives in coastal regions of eastern Australia.

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Klappenbach, Laura. "Meet 12 Interesting Amphibians." ThoughtCo, Sep. 1, 2021, thoughtco.com/amphibian-photogallery-4122653. Klappenbach, Laura. (2021, September 1). Meet 12 Interesting Amphibians. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/amphibian-photogallery-4122653 Klappenbach, Laura. "Meet 12 Interesting Amphibians." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/amphibian-photogallery-4122653 (accessed March 30, 2023).