Froglife glossary

Glossary

If you need any help defining some of the less familiar terms used on the website, please take a look at the list below.

Amphibian	Cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Amphibia, comprising frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and caecilians. Typically the larvae are aquatic (dependent on water) and breathe using gills whereas the adults are terrestrial or semiterrestrial (land based), breathing by lungs and/or through their moist skin.
Amphibious	To be able to exist on land and in water.
Amplexus	The mating embrace of frogs and toads where the smaller male clasps on to the larger female ‘piggy back’ style.
Anuran	Amphibians without tails (i.e. frogs and toads).
ARG	Amphibian and Reptile Group (county-based group of experts and enthusiasts).
Biodiversity	The range of different kinds of life.
Caudata	Amphibians with tails (e.g. newts).
Croaks	News bulletins from Froglife straight to your inbox (also the noise made by frogs and toads!). Sign up for Croaks.
Daphnia	Water fleas, natural pond inhabitants who consume algae and are a common source of food for tadpoles.
Eft	The young of newts; usually describes newts that have just completed their metamorphosis from tadpoles and have left the water.
Exotic	A species not native to this country (also called non-native or introduced). More on exotic amphibians and reptiles.
Fence and bucket system	Method of preventing migrating toads from being killed on roads. A mesh fence is installed along the side of the road with buckets sunk into the ground every 10m or so. These act as pitfall traps and the toads can be safely collected and transported to the pond. More on Toads on Roads.
Frogalogue	Directory of Froglife merchandise.
Froglet	Young frog that has just completed its metamorphosis from a tadpole and left the pond.
Froglife Friend	Supporter of Froglife, Friendship starts from as little as £1.50. Join us!
Herpetofauna	Name given to amphibians and reptiles as a group.
Herpetologist	A person who studies or is an expert on amphibians and reptiles.
Herpetology	The study of amphibians and reptiles.
Hibernaculum	Place for amphibians and reptiles to spend the winter; normally comprises of logs or brick rubble covered with soil. How to create a hibernacula.
Hibernation	Period of time spent dormant (over the winter).
Larva	The immature form or life-stage; used to describe newt tadpoles.
Metamorphosis	A profound change in form from one life stage to the next e.g. a tadpole developing into a frog.
Natterchat	Froglife’s twice-yearly magazine for supporters.
Neotenous	Describes an individual that remains in the juvenile form rather than developing into an adult. Neoteny is fairly common in newts where adult sized individuals will be found in a pond, still with their gills. Occasionally frog tadpoles will stay in the pond over the winter and complete their metamorphosis the following spring, this is not neoteny it is just a delay in development.
Newtlet	A newt that has just completed its metamorphosis from a tadpole and left the water; also called an eft.

Parotoid glands	A pair of glands on the backs of toads, usually behind the eye, which produce a toxin; this toxin makes them distasteful to predators.
Pond-dipping	Fun, educational activity to see what’s living in a pond; a net is swept through the water and the contents tipped into a water-filled tray to get a closer look.
Red-leg	Misleading name given to frog-disease ranavirus.
Refuge or refugia	Flat, easily-warmed object a reptile can hide underneath which can be lifted to get a closer look, for example a piece of slate, a square of corrugated tin or an old carpet. Creating refugia.
Reptile	Cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia, comprising snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles, and various extinct members including the dinosaurs. They have an external covering of scales and usually lay eggs.
Spawn	Amphibian eggs; consists of embryos encased in a jelly coating.
Tadpole	The aquatic young of amphibians, particularly frogs and toads.
Tins	Name given to reptile refugia, especially when surveying.
Toad Patrol	Group of volunteers who help toads as they migrate across roads to their breeding ponds. More about Toads on Roads.
Toadlet	Young toad that has just completed its metamorphosis from a tadpole and left the pond.
Torching	Method used to survey for newts: a high powered torch is shone into the pond just after dusk to look for newts. Particularly effective in spring when the newts are courting and laying eggs.
Viviparous	Describes the act of incubating eggs internally and giving birth to live young rather than laying eggs externally. Common lizards, sometimes called viviparous lizards, do this, as do adders and smooth snakes.
Vocal sac	Pouch/es of skin under an amphibian's chin; these are inflated in order to make noises.
Wildlife & Country-side Act 1981	Law protecting amphibians and reptiles (the level of protection depends on the species).
Wildlife pond	Pond kept solely for the use of native wildlife; it will usually not contain fish, will have no pump/filter/aerator and will have been left to colonise naturally. Our guide to creating the perfect pond: Just Add Water.