According to the Sagan calendar, Amphibians first appeared on earth on this date. 10 facts about amphibians.
The word amphibian comes from the Greek word amphibios meaning “living a double life,” which reflects the ability of such animals to live in Water and on land.
There are about 8,100 living species of amphibian.
They can be divided into three orders: Frogs and Toads (Anura), Newts and salamanders (Caudata), and caecilians (Gymnophiona). Caecilians are limbless, worm or snake-like amphibians, with either no eyes or very small eyes.
Amphibians first appeared about 340 million years ago during the Middle Mississippian Epoch.
Breeding strategies vary, although in general eggs are laid in fresh water and hatch into a larval form, frog tadpoles being an example. Most find their own food and do what they can to avoid predators from hatching, while developing into the adult form which can live on land.
There are no marine amphibians. Nor are there any living in Antarctica, but they are found everywhere else. Amphibians have been found up to 5,270 m above sea level.
They have moist skin through which they can breathe and absorb water. Some very small amphibian species do not have lungs at all. A big down side of having permeable skin is that they are vulnerable to pollution in the water.
The largest amphibian is the Chinese Giant Salamander, Andrias davidianus, which can grow up to 1.8 m in length. There were amphibians which are now extinct which were even bigger. Prionosuchus plummeri, a South American amphibian which lived 270 million years ago in swamps and was a bit like a crocodile, could grow up to 30 ft. in length, which is about the size of a bus.
The smallest species is the Brazilian Flea Toad, Brachycephalus pulex, which at 7.1 mm is not only the smallest amphibian but the smallest vertebrate.
The longest living amphibian is probably the olm, Proteus anguinus. Individuals in captivity have lived for over 70 years, and the predicted maximum lifespan is over a century.
A Very Variant Christmas
Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.
The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.
Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.
Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.
Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.
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