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amphibian
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Images & Videos
banded fire salamander (Salamandra terrestris) Green frog (Rana clamitans melanota).
Follow an amphibian's life cycle from an underwater egg to a land-roving organism
olympic torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton olympicus)
A red salamander with small black dots on the front half of its body is perched on a wet rock against a black background.
How hibernating frogs survive in freezing temperatures
Amazon leaf frog life cycle of the European common frog salamander larvae representative urodeles
At a Glance
Green frog (Rana clamitans melanota).
amphibian summary
Quizzes
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
Black eyed tree frog (Agalychnis moreletii)
All About Amphibians
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banded fire salamander (Salamandra terrestris)
banded fire salamander (Salamandra terrestris) Banded fire salamander (Salamandra terrestris).

amphibian

animal
Also known as: Amphibia
Written by
William E. Duellman
Curator, Division of Herpetology, Museum of Natural History; Professor of Systematics and Ecology, University of Kansas, Lawrence. Author of The Hylid Frogs of Middle America.
William E. DuellmanAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

amphibian, (class Amphibia), any member of the group of vertebrate animals characterized by their ability to exploit both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The name amphibian, derived from the Greek amphibios meaning “living a double life,” reflects this dual life strategy—though some species are permanent land dwellers, while other species have a completely aquatic mode of existence. Approximately 8,100 species of living amphibians are known. First appearing about 340 million years ago during the Middle Mississippian...

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