What are
the amphibians?
We currently know of more than 8,000 amphibian species around the world. They are little animals with delicate skin, and they have inhabited the planets aquatic and terrestrial environments for 370 million years behind (long before the human).
Its representatives are divided into three groups: salamanders, caecilians, and toads and frogs. Salamanders and caecilians are not present in Chile.
Unfortunately, amphibians have conservation problems worldwide and need your help: it is estimated that this class of animals it is extinguishing 211 times faster than in the past. Chile is no exception to this situation.
Amazing amphibians
The amphibians of Chile are unique, with an evolutionary history characterized by an ancient geographic isolation from the rest of the world, which has led to the emergence of amazing adaptations.
In Chile lives the only species of amphibian that raises its tadpoles in the vocal sac: Darwins Frog (Rhinoderma darwinii):
Click to see how the tadpoles move inside the male's vocal sac.
We have very old species from an evolutionary point of view, which are considered as living fossils. An example of these species is Southern Toad (Telmatobufo australis), the one with tadpoles with suction cups to adhere to the torrential rivers where they live:
In the north of Chile there are also aquatic frogs that sometimes live in very small portions of rivers (a few hundred meters),at great heights and in the driest desert in the world. An example is the loa frog (Telmatobius dankoi):