Which amphibian has a tail?
A wart-covered amphibian with leathery skin is a what?
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Answer: Three.
Answer: Salamanders.
Answer: Toad.
Amphibians are classified into three major groups:
Anura, which is composed of frogs and toads;
Caudata, which is composed of newts and salamanders, and
Gymnophiona, which is composed of caecilian species.
The smallest living amphibian is a frog from New Guinea, known as Paedophryne amanuensis, which is also considered to be the world’s smallest vertebrate.
Of the total number of amphibians identified throughout the world about 90% of the total are frogs.
What are Caecilians?
Caecilians, pronounced seh-SILL-yens, may look like worms or snakes, but these long, lithe creatures belong to a group of legless amphibians. There are nearly 200 species of caecilians known to science, ranging from the 3.5-inch-long in Cameroon to the nearly 5-foot-long giant in Colombia.
Caecilians tend to have very small eyes, which are thought only to be able to detect differences between light and dark. In some species, the eyes are completely covered by skin—an adaptation suited to a life spent almost entirely underground. A pair of tiny, chemically-sensitive tentacles on the caecilians’ faces can detect food and possibly help the animals navigate.
While they possess no arms or legs, they are powerful diggers, using a strong skull and muscles that run the length of their body to drive through dirt and mud like a piston in a car engine.
Caecilians come in a variety of colors, from grays and blacks to brilliant blues. Some species are two-toned, with purple topsides and pink underbellies. Others boast dozens of vertical stripes, like a coral snake.
Some species in Central and South America, have glands in their skin that secrete toxins that can damage red blood cells in some animals. It’s thought that the toxic concoctions evolved to repel predators.
Habitat and behavior
Despite reaching gargantuan lengths, these animals are rarely seen by people. Most species spend a majority of their lives underground or plying the waters of shallow streams. Caecilians can be found in tropical and neotropical areas around the world, from Central and South America to Central Africa and Southeast Asia.
High up in the cloud forests of Ecuador, the giant caecilian is only known to come to the surface at night and during torrential rainstorms.
Caecilians are not dangerous to humans, though the creatures do possess a mouth full of impressive, needle-like teeth. The rows of fangs help the animals capture prey, such as earthworms, which are then swallowed whole. They also eat insects and other invertebrates.
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