Amphibians, which include salamanders, newts, toads and frogs, are vertebrate animals (in the phylum Chordata) that spend at least part of their life cycle in water. They are ectothermic (or "cold-blooded"), which means that they do not produce their own body heat like birds, people or other mammals. They remain the same temperature as their surroundings and seek out cooler or warmer spots to avoid temperatures too high or too low for their survival.

Missouri has 43 species of amphibians, with an additional five subspecies or geographic races.  No amphibians in Missouri are venomous; they are harmless to people.  The color and variety of salamanders and the calls of toads and frogs in spring and summer help make our outdoors a fun and lively place to be.

Missouri toads and frogs are colorful, harmless, vocal and valuable. Our forests, prairies, rivers, swamps and marshes are home to a multitude of toads and frogs, but few people know how many varieties we have, how to tell them apart, or much about their natural history. Studying these animals and sharing their stories with fellow Missourians is one of the most pleasurable and rewarding aspects of my work.

Toads and frogs are amphibians-a class of vertebrate animals that  includes salamanders and the tropical caecilians, which are long, slender, worm like and legless.  Missouri has 25 species and subspecies (or geographic races) of toads and frogs.  Toads and frogs differ from salamanders by having relatively short bodies and lacking tails at adulthood.   Being an amphibian means that they live two lives: an aquatic larval (tadpole) stage and a semi-aquatic or terrestrial adult stage. Of the 3,260 species of amphibians currently recognized in the world, there are approximately 2,770 species of toads and frogs. 

Adapted from:  Missouri Department of Conservation, http://www.conservation.mo.gov/nathis/herpetol/frog/

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Page last updated August 26, 2008