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Monday, 5 October 2026

Global Animal Guide

Animals A–Z index Conservation Wildlife help

Amphibians

The guide features 28 species in the amphibian class. Each profile answers the most-searched questions first.

What are amphibians?

Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates that typically live a double life — beginning in water as gilled larvae (such as tadpoles) and maturing into air-breathing adults. Their thin, permeable skin absorbs water and oxygen but also makes them acutely sensitive to pollution, which is why they are treated as key indicators of environmental health. The group includes frogs, toads, salamanders, and caecilians.

Pink axolotl with feathery external gills underwater

Critically Endangered

Amphibian

Axolotl

The salamander that never grows up and can regrow body parts

Chinese giant salamander with wrinkled brown skin resting on a rocky stream bed

Critically Endangered

Amphibian

Chinese Giant Salamander

World's largest amphibian

Male smooth newt in breeding dress with wavy crest swimming in a clear garden pond

Amphibian

Smooth Newt

Widespread European pond newt

Pale pinkish olm with external gills swimming in a clear limestone cave pool

Amphibian

Olm

Blind cave salamander of European karst

Bright blue and black poison dart frog sitting on a wet green leaf

Amphibian

Poison Dart Frog

Tiny, brilliantly colored, and among the most toxic animals alive

Mudpuppy with bushy red external gills walking on a submerged river rock

Amphibian

Mudpuppy

Fully aquatic salamander with external gills

Surinam toad camouflaged on river bottom with star-shaped body and tiny starry skin pores

Amphibian

Surinam Toad

Flat frog that grows babies in its back

Golden mantella frog on moss with vivid orange skin and black eyes

Critically Endangered

Amphibian

Golden Mantella

Critically Endangered orange gem of Madagascar

Spring peeper clinging to wetland reed with X-shaped cross on back and inflated vocal sac

Amphibian

Spring Peeper

Thumb-sized herald of eastern spring

Pacific tree frog on coastal fern with dark eye stripe and green or brown skin

Amphibian

Pacific Tree Frog

West Coast chorus frog behind the movie ribbit

Large green American bullfrog sitting at the edge of a pond among reeds

Amphibian

American Bullfrog

North America's largest and loudest frog

Brown warty common toad with copper eyes sitting on damp soil among leaves

Amphibian

Common Toad

The warty garden toad of Europe

Round green and brown Pacman frog with a very wide mouth sitting in damp moss

Near Threatened

Amphibian

Pacman Frog

The round, big-mouthed horned frog

Red-eyed tree frog with vivid red eyes and orange feet clinging to a green leaf

Amphibian

Red-Eyed Tree Frog

The bright-eyed icon of the rainforest canopy

Mottled gray tree frog with large toe pads clinging to a tree branch

Amphibian

Gray Tree Frog

The color-changing tree frog of eastern forests

Smooth olive-gray African clawed frog floating in water with limbs splayed out

Amphibian

African Clawed Frog

The fully aquatic lab and pet frog

Small green and black fire-bellied toad showing its bright red and black underside

Amphibian

Oriental Fire-bellied Toad

The green toad with a warning-red belly

Plump bright red-orange tomato frog sitting on damp forest leaf litter

Amphibian

Tomato Frog

The plump, bright-red frog of Madagascar

Black spotted salamander with two rows of bright yellow spots on the forest floor

Amphibian

Spotted Salamander

The yellow-spotted salamander of eastern forests

Large brown warty cane toad sitting on damp soil at night

Amphibian

Cane Toad

A large, toxic toad turned invasive pest

Smooth limbless caecilian resembling a large earthworm crawling across damp soil

Amphibian

Caecilian

The limbless, burrowing amphibians

Enormous Goliath frog resting on a wet rock beside a fast-flowing rainforest river

Amphibian

Goliath Frog

The largest frog on Earth

Glossy black fire salamander with bright yellow markings on a mossy forest floor

Amphibian

Fire Salamander

The black-and-yellow salamander of European forests

Tiny translucent glass frog on a leaf with internal organs visible through its skin

Amphibian

Glass Frog

The frog with see-through skin

Stout dark tiger salamander with yellow blotches crawling across damp soil

Amphibian

Tiger Salamander

A stout, burrowing salamander of North America

Brown wood frog with a dark eye mask sitting on damp leaf litter in a forest

Amphibian

Wood Frog

The frog that freezes solid to survive winter

Bright orange red eft, the juvenile stage of the eastern newt, on a mossy log

Amphibian

Eastern Newt

The newt with a bright orange land stage

Large flat brown hellbender salamander with wrinkled skin on a streambed rock

Amphibian

Hellbender

North America's giant, fully aquatic salamander

Frequently asked questions

What are amphibians?

Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates that typically live a double life — beginning in water as gilled larvae (such as tadpoles) and maturing into air-breathing adults. Their thin, permeable skin absorbs water and oxygen but also makes them acutely sensitive to pollution, which is why they are treated as key indicators of environmental health. The group includes frogs, toads, salamanders, and caecilians.

How many amphibians are in the Global Animal Guide?

The Global Animal Guide currently features 28 amphibians with full, answer-first profiles covering diet, habitat, size, and conservation status.