LivingUnderworld.org
Title
Livingunderworld.org | Amphibian Information Resource
Description
Livingunderworld.org is an ongoing web project dedicated to the preservation of wild and captive amphibians. We are a non-profit, educational website, whose purpose is to make available accurate, and organized amphibian information for breeders, professional herpetologists, or those just curious about amphibians. Livingunderworld.org attempts to cater to a wide audience, and is therefore made simple and easy to navigate, and includes plenty of resources for further information. The site is comprised of a collection of contributed and original materials pertaining to amphibians, including species accounts, identification information, trends in classification, range maps, photos, articles, links, and more. Although there are a few "remnant" care sheets for captive animals, the main focus of the site is aimed at the biological, ecological, and taxonomic aspects of amphibians. In fact, we hope to turn the site completely in this direction over the next few years. We would like to see Livingunderworld.org become a useful reference tool for persons of all paths and stages, from professional herpetologists and zoologists, to photographers and authors, to college and high school students, and everything in between. Contributed materials are always welcome, and can be emailed to share@livingunderworld.org. Photos can also be posted in the Member Galleries section. All contributions are greatly appreciated, and are posted with complete acknowledgements to the owner or copyright holder, including name and web site links (where applicable).
The name " Living Under World" is a metaphoric one that represents how amphibians have been historically perceived; that is, as unsightly creatures that essentially exist beneath the human world. Unfortunately, amphibians are not a particularly celebrated group of animals among many people, and are sometimes treated as nuisances, or simply unimportant creatures. This is a rather unfortunate misconception because amphibians play important roles in the ecosystem, and contribute to the health of the planet. Not to mention that as a whole, amphibians are an amazing group of animals, with innumerous special adaptations. There are more than 5,000 recognized amphibian species, ranging in size from a few millimeters to several feet, and varied in coloration from drab brown to fluorescent colors, and deep, rich hues. Amphibians also differ markedly in shape and physical appearance, from the typical frog or salamander, to the strange, worm-like caecilians. Some species are so different from what most know as a frog or salamander, that they wouldn't even be recognized as an amphibian at all!
Wild populations of an astounding number of species are declining on a global level in response to pollution and the greenhouse effect, habitat destruction, and human encroachment. We are currently working on extensive sections about conservation and amphibian declines that will hopefully be available in the near future. In the meantime, we recommend each and every user to pay a visit to the following sites for some essential reading: CITES :: IUCN (red list) :: DAPTF :: USFWS :: ARC :: Frogs.org :: Global Amphibians Assessment. For more resources, please see our LINKS section
Contact
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- SUNNYVALE CA
- United States 94086-4806
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- +1.3325463
