Tag: Amphibians

Prehistoric Amphibian Ancestor Is Named for Kermit the Frog

One crawled across the rain-drenched ground of what is now Texas more than 270 million years ago, possibly feasting on fast-moving insects. The other endeared himself to millions as the banjo-playing roving newscaster, and reluctant beau of Miss Piggy, known as Kermit the Frog. Now, they share a name. On Thursday, scientists announced that they […]

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What It Takes to Save the Axolotl

Xochimilco is a large, semirural district in the south of Mexico City, home to a vast network of canals surrounding farming plots called chinampas. Starting around A.D. 900, this maze of earth and water produced food for the Xochimilcas, a Náhuatl speaking people who were among the first to populate the region and engineer its […]

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These Amphibian Children Have a Taste for (Mom’s) Skin

When born, baby caecilians — legless amphibians that look like a mash-up of a snake and a worm — use their tiny hook-shaped teeth to scrape off their mother’s skin and feast. The flakes are dead but extra fatty and nutrient-rich, and within three months the infant squirmers have grown into independent teenagers. The habit […]

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