Marine Toad

 Marine Toad:  The cane toad (Bufo marinus), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad which is native to Central and South America, but has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean. It is a member of the subgenus Rhinella of the genus Bufo, which includes many different true toad species found throughout Central and South America. The cane toad is a prolific breeder; females lay single-clump spawns with thousands of eggs. Its reproductive success is partly because of opportunistic feeding: it has a diet, unusual among anurans, of both dead and living matter. Adults average 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) in length; the largest recorded specimen weighed 2.65 kg (5.8 lb) with a length of 38 cm (15 in) from snout to vent. The cane toad is an old species.

A fossil toad (specimen UCMP 41159) from the La Venta fauna of the late Miocene of Colombia is indistinguishable from modern cane toads from northern South America. It was discovered in a floodplain deposit, which suggests the B. marinus habitat preferences have always been for open areas.The cane toad has poison glands, and the tadpoles are highly toxic to most animals if ingested. Because of its voracious appetite, the cane toad has been introduced to many regions of the Pacific and the Caribbean islands as a method of agricultural pest control.

  Marine Toad

  Marine Toad

  Marine Toad

 Marine Toad

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Marsh Frog

Marsh Frog:  The Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) is the largest frog native to Europe and belongs to the family of true frogs. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related Edible Frog and Pool Frog. These three species, now again in the genus Pelophylax, are often referred to as "green frogs" to distinguish them from the more terrestrial European Rana species, which are known as "brown frogs" (best exemplified by the Common Frog Rana temporaria).

The Marsh Frog is a water-dwelling, generally green-colored frog species. It can reach a maximum length of 17 centimetres, but males remain smaller (around 12 cm). The head is proportionally large and the hind legs are long, which gives them excellent jumping abilities. There is a large variation in colour and pattern, ranging from dark green to brown or grey, sometimes with some lighter green lines; a lighter line on the back is generally present. The Western European populations are generally dark green to black with dark spots on the back and sides and three clear green lines on the back.

 Marsh Frog

 Marsh Frog

 Marsh Frog

Marsh Frog

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Monte Iberia Eleuth

Monte Iberia Eleuth:  The Monte Iberia Eleuth (Eleutherodactylus iberia) is the smallest living frog in the northern hemisphere, ranging between 9.6 to 9.8 millimetres (0.38 to 0.39 in) in length. It is the third-smallest frog (and tetrapod) in the world, following Paedophryne amauensis and the Brazilian Gold Frog. It was first discovered in 1996 on Mount Iberia, from which the animal gets its name, and exists in only two small regions of Cuba. Much remains unknown about this small creature. 

The diminutive species was first documented by Cuban scientist Alberto R. Estrada of the Institute of Forest Research in Havana, working with S. Blair Hedges of Pennsylvania State University in association with the National Science Foundation's Biotic Surveys and Inventories Program. On a 1996 expedition to Cuchillas de Moa in search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (now believed to be extinct), four iberia specimens were collected after being uncovered under leaf litter and among the roots of ferns in a secondary hardwood forest on the western slope of Monte Iberia. 

 Monte Iberia Eleuth

 Monte Iberia Eleuth

 Monte Iberia Eleuth

 Monte Iberia Eleuth

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Newt

Newt:  A newt is an aquatic amphibian of the family Salamandridae, although not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts. Newts are classified in the subfamily Pleurodelinae of the family Salamandridae, and are found in North America, Europe and Asia. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (called an eft), and adult. Adult newts have lizard-like bodies and may be either fully aquatic, living permanently in the water, or semi-aquatic, living terrestrially but returning to the water each year to breed. 

A red-spotted newt (eft stage) showing bright aposematic colouration to warn predators of its highly toxic skin. Newts share many of the characteristics of their salamander kin; Caudata, including semi-permeable glandular skin, four equal sized limbs and a distinct tail. The newt's skin, however, is not as smooth as that of other salamanders. Aquatic larvae have true teeth on both upper and lower jaws, and external gills. They have the ability to regenerate limbs, eyes, spinal cords, hearts, intestines, and upper and lower jaws.

 Newt

 Newt

 Newt

Newt

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Salamander

Salamander:  Salamander is a common name of approximately 550 extant species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossil salamanders and all extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant species are grouped together as the Urodela. Most salamanders have four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs. Their moist skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water, or under some protection (e.g., moist ground), often in a wetland. 

Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout life, some take to the water intermittently, and some are entirely terrestrial as adults. Unique among vertebrates, they are capable of regenerating lost limbs, as well as other body parts. Many of the members of the family Salamandridae are known as newts. Mature salamanders generally have a basal tetrapod body form with a cylindrical trunk, four limbs and a long tail. Some species such as sirens and amphiumas have reduced or absent hindlimbs, giving them a more eel-like appearance.

 Salamander

 Salamander

 Salamander

Salamander

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Spadefoot Toad

Spadefoot Toad:  Scaphiopodidae is a family of American spadefoot toads. They are native to southern Canada and USA south to southern Mexico. Scaphiopodidae is a small family, comprising only seven species. The American spadefoot toads are of typical shape to most fossorial (or burrowing) frogs. They are round, with short legs and protruding eyes. As suggested by their name, this frog has hard, keratinous protrusion present on their feet, which helps them to dig. Like most fossorial frogs, they will dig backwards into the ground. The American spadefoot toads are terrestrial when not under ground.

 They are dully coloured, usually a grey or dull green or brown. This is to aid in camouflage in their arid habitats. This family was previously included in the European spadefoot toad family, but has been split into two taxa. Pelobatidae includes the Pelobates genus, and Scaphiopodidae the rest. Spadefoot toads are generally found in arid climates, where they spend the majority of their lives underground, generally beneath perennial ponds, creek beds, or other moisture-retaining areas. During years of sufficient rainfall, the toads surface to breed and lay eggs.

  Spadefoot Toad

  Spadefoot Toad

  Spadefoot Toad

  Spadefoot Toad

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Striped Rocket Frog

 Striped Rocket Frog:  Litoria nasuta, commonly known as the Striped Rocket Frog or in its native range as the Rocket Frog, occurs mostly in coastal areas from northern Western Australia to around Gosford in New South Wales at its southern most point, with a disjunct population occurring further south at the Sydney suburb of Avalon. It also inhabits the southern lowlands and south east peninsula of Papua New Guinea.This species of frog is very variable in colour and patterning. It reaches 55 mm in length, has extremely long legs and is very streamlined.

 Its dorsal surface is shades of brown with longitudinal skin folds or warts that are darker in colour than the skin around them. The ventral surface is white and granular. A brown stripe starts from the nostril, goes through the eye, through the tympanum and ends between the armpit and groin. The tympanum is brown with a white circle surrounding it. The thighs are marked with black lines on a yellow background. Throats of breeding males are yellow. Although being a 'tree frog' this species spends most of its life as a frog on the land, due to its inability to climb because of its small discs.

  Striped Rocket Frog

  Striped Rocket Frog

  Striped Rocket Frog

 Striped Rocket Frog

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Tiger Salamander

 Tiger Salamander:  The Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) is a species of Mole Salamander. The proper common name is the Eastern Tiger Salamander, to differentiate from other closely related species.Eastern tiger salamanders grow to a typical length of 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) .They can reach up to 14 inches (36 cm) in length, particularly neotenic individuals. Adults are usually blotchy with grey, green, or black, and have large, lidded eyes. They have short snouts, thick necks, sturdy legs, and long tails. Their diet consists largely of small insects and worms, though it is not rare for an adult to consume small frogs and baby mice.

Adults are rarely seen in the open and often live in burrows that are usually 2 feet from the surface. Tiger salamanders are almost entirely terrestrial as adults, and usually only return to the water to breed. But also they partly live in both land and water. Although Tiger Salamanders are terrestrial, they are good swimmers. Like all ambystomatids, they are extremely loyal to their birthplace, and will travel long distances to reach it. However, a single tiger salamander has only a 50% chance of breeding more than once in its lifetime. Males nudge a willing female to initiate mating, and then deposit a spermatophore on the lake bottom. The female picks up the packet and deposits the now-fertilized eggs on vegetation.

  Tiger Salamander

  Tiger Salamander

  Tiger Salamander

  Tiger Salamander

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Tree Frog

Tree Frog:  A tree frog is any frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to tree frogs, even though they are not closely related to each other. Many millions of years of convergent evolution have resulted in almost identical morphology and ecologies. In fact, they are so similar as regards their ecological niche that where one group of tree frogs occurs, the other is almost always absent. The last common ancestor of some such tree frog groups lived long before the extinction of the dinosaurs.

As the name implies, these frogs are typically found in very tall trees or other high-growing vegetation. They do not normally descend to the ground, except to mate and spawn, though some build foam nests on leaves and rarely leave the trees at all as adults. Many tree frogs can change their color for better camouflage. For instance, the gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor) can change its color from green to gray.Tree frogs are usually tiny, as their weight has to be carried by the branches and twigs of their habitat. While some reach 10 cm (4 in) or more, they are typically smaller and more slender than terrestrial frogs.

 Tree Frog

 Tree Frog

 Tree Frog

Tree Frog

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Anderson's Crocodile Newt

 Anderson's Crocodile Newt:  The Anderson's Crocodile Newt (Echinotriton andersoni) is a species of salamander in the Salamandridae family. It is found in Japan and Taiwan. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is an amazing creature because all through time, it hasn't changed a bit. Nicknamed "the living fossil", he's the link to all ancient animals. It received its name from his bumpy ribs. His ribs are his charm and his cool dinosaur look.

The Anderson's Crocodile Newt, a super survivor of time, is facing extinction. People are building roads and resorts on top of the Anderson's Crocodile Newt's home; the forest and woods, and now it is homeless. If the Anderson's Crocodile Newt falls into a roadside ditch, it won't be able get out and it will die! Anderson's Crocodile Newt hasn't changed through time because there was never a problem with the forest and woods. It can't survive with all of this sudden change.

  Anderson's Crocodile Newt

  Anderson's Crocodile Newt

  Anderson's Crocodile Newt

 Anderson's Crocodile Newt

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Golden Poison Frog

 Golden Poison Frog: Phyllobates terribilis, the golden poison frog or the golden dart frog, is a poison dart frog endemic to the Pacific coast of Colombia. The optimal habitat of P. terribilis is the rainforest with high rain rates (5 m or more), altitude between 100–200 m, temperature of at least 26 °C, and relative humidity of 80–90%. In the wild, P. terribilis is a social animal, living in groups of up to six individuals; however, captive P. terribilis can live in much larger groups.

  Golden Poison Frog

  Golden Poison Frog

  Golden Poison Frog

 Golden Poison Frog

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Goliath Frog

Goliath Frog: The goliath frog (Conraua goliath) is the largest extant anuran on Earth. The largest known specimens can grow up to 33 cm (13 in) in length from snout to vent, and weighs up to 3 kg (8 lb). This animal has a relatively small habitat range, mainly in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Its numbers are dwindling due to habitat destruction and its collection for consumption and the pet trade.

 Goliath Frog

 Goliath Frog

 Goliath Frog

Goliath Frog

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Ishikawa's Frog

 Ishikawa's Frog: Ishikawa's Frog, Odorrana ishikawae, is a species of frog in the Ranidae family. It is endemic to Japan. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, and intermittent rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

  Ishikawa's Frog

  Ishikawa's Frog

  Ishikawa's Frog

 Ishikawa's Frog

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