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The world’s frogs, salamanders, newts and other amphibians remain in serious trouble. A new global assessment has found that 41% of amphibian species that scientists have studied are threatened ...
The smallest amphibian (and vertebrate) in the world is a frog from New Guinea (Paedophryne amauensis) with a length of just 7.7 mm (0.30 in). The largest living amphibian is the 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) South China giant salamander ( Andrias sligoi ), but this is dwarfed by prehistoric temnospondyls such as Mastodonsaurus which could reach up to 6 m ...
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic membrane , such as modern reptiles , birds and mammals ).
The World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Report 2022 found that wildlife populations declined by an average 69% since 1970. [1] [2] [3]The Living Planet Index (LPI) is an indicator of the state of global biological diversity, based on trends in vertebrate populations of species from around the world.
Because amphibians generally have a two-staged life cycle consisting of both aquatic and terrestrial phases, they are sensitive to both terrestrial and aquatic environmental effects. Because their skins are highly permeable, they may be more susceptible to toxins in the environment than other organisms such as birds or mammals. [9]
As of December 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 673 critically endangered amphibian species, including 146 which are tagged as possibly extinct. [1] [2] 9.2% of all evaluated amphibian species are listed as critically endangered. No subpopulations of amphibians have been evaluated by the IUCN.
Additionally 1193 amphibian species (16% of those evaluated) are listed as data deficient, meaning there is insufficient information for a full assessment of conservation status. As these species typically have small distributions and/or populations, they are intrinsically likely to be threatened, according to the IUCN. [ 2 ]
They care about real animals, real birds, real fish." A baby sunflower sea star at the Aquarium of the Pacific's behind-the-scenes lab. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)