Image by Sheila Brown. Click here for original.
Class Amphibia
Class amphibia includes the frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians. These animals spend at least a part of their lives in water. Their biphasic lifestyle restricts their first stage of life to water until they metamorphose into adults. Some amphibians don't have lungs, and instead breathe through permeable skin. Habitat choice is still fairly limited to areas closely tied to water. Amphibians are generally sensitive to changes in the environment because of permeable skin and un-shelled eggs which can allow pollutants to enter more easily. Most amphibians reproduced through egg-laying in an aquatic environment and then externally fertilizing them. Hatching from the eggs is their larval stage, part of their biphasic lifestyle until they reach metamorphosis. During their metamorphosis, they often lose their gills, change their outer appearance as well as their feeding habits.
Our collection has a huge representation of native Californian species of amphibians, including those native around the United States.
Our collection has a huge representation of native Californian species of amphibians, including those native around the United States.