GENERAL EXTERNAL ANATOMY
The three orders of amphibians are quite different in their external appearance. Salamanders are lizard-like in form, covered in glandular skin, have four legs (except the sirens, which are lacking the pelvic limbs), and lack claws on their digits.
External feather-like gills may or may not be present. The tail is usually laterally flattened. The salamanders range in total length from 1.5 inches (4 cm) to over 60 inches (1.5m). The anurans, or frogs and toads, are tail-less as adults. External gills are absent. Anurans generally have longer hind legs than fore, and commonly have webbed, unclawed toes. Depending on the species, the glandular skin may be smooth or bosselated. The snout-to-vent length of anurans ranges from 3/8 inch to 12 inches (1-30 cm). Caecilians are limbless and resemble a snake or worm. They have a very short tail, if one is present at all. Small olfactory and sensory tentacles are present in the nasolabial groove just rostral to the eye. Total length varies from 3 to 30 inches (7.5-75 cm) (Stebbins & Cohen 1995; Wright 2001b).
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