Introduction Amphibians live almost everywhere but they can be hard to find for much of the year In spring however frogs and toads fill the night air with their songs and lay masses of eggs in and around ponds and streams as do salamanders If you pro vide a habitat for them you may be able to attract amphibian visitors to your yard Amphibians are not only fascinating and beautiful they are also beneficial to humans in many ways One big benefit they provide is that they eat pests of all kinds They are also eaten by larger animals Amphibians are a vital link in the food webs of many different ecosystems There is still much to learn about many of these secretive creatures especially the caecilians which spend most of their lives underground New amphibian species are being discovered every day and scientists can now use high-tech tools such as DNA sequencing to figure out where they fit into the amphibian family tree In 2003 scientists even discovered a whole new fam ily of frogs in the mountains of southern India Only one species in this family has been identified so far This is an exciting time to be a herpetologist The last few decades however have brought new challenges Amphibian populations have shrunk dramatically and some Gary Wells Flickr xi species have become endangered or extinct Many factors are involved in this decline including diseases pollution and habitat loss Scientists and conservationists are working hard to figure out what is causing this decline and to protect endangered spe cies before it is too late In this book you’ll learn lots of fascinating facts about amphibians and create an explorer’s notebook to keep track of your findings Each chapter includes fun activities to help you learn more It can be difficult to identify amphibian species and there are too many to include them all in this book But you will learn to study them carefully and observe their differences IMPORTANT Amphibians are fragile creatures due to their sensitive skin and it is best not to pick them up If you do be very careful when handling them as some produce toxins that can make you ill Wash your hands carefully after touching any amphibian It’s fun to go looking for amphibians but always tell an adult where you are going You don’t need to go far you can prob ably find amphibians in your local park or even your backyard
1 What Is an Amphibian Have you ever heard a bullfrog croak Or spied a salamander near a stream Amphibians are all around us but these shy creatures can be very hard to spot They need to stay hidden from hungry predators such as birds and snakes They also need to stay in or near water to keep their skin moist so it might take a little detective work to track them down As you read this book write down what you’ve learned in your explorer’s notebook page 3 Then pull out your magnifying glass and follow the clues to find some amphibians near you Before you get started though you should know exactly what an amphibian is and what it isn’t Ryzhkov Sergey Wikimedia Commons 1
