Amphibians are cold-blooded (body temperature is not internally regulated and therefore is similar to the external temperature), smooth-skinned vertebrates that characteristically hatch as an aquatic larva with gills. The larva then transform into an adult having air-breathing lungs.
Alabama is home to 73 native amphibians, including 30 species of frogs and 43 species of salamanders. One established exotic species, the greenhouse frog, occurs in Baldwin and Mobile counties. Two native species, the Mississippi gopher frog and the flatwoods salamander have not been observed in many years and may be extirpated from Alabama.
