Category: Amphibians
The range of this widespread toad extends from the state of Veracruz in Mexico, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, up to the U.S. state of Mississippi. It inhabits and breeds in a wide range of natural and man-made habitats.
Learn more about the Coastal Plains Toad at Wikipedia.
An Ample Amphibian
Before reptiles and mammals appeared to challenge amphibian supremacy on the land, amphibians were much larger. But while they have shrunk in size over the last 315 million years, the Chinese Giant Salamander never got the memo: at up to 5.9 feet in length and 66lbs, this amphibian is longer than your dog, and probably weighs at least as much! Compare that to Paedophryne amanuensis, the world’s smallest frog (and smallest vertebrate) who is the size of a house fly! Due to habitat loss, environmental changes, and over-hunting/collecting, the Chinese giant Salamander is critically endangered, though conservation efforts to save it are underway today.
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