Amphibians encompass a range of animals that include newts, salamanders, frogs and toads. Ten species of amphibians reside in the Santa Monica Mountains. They inhabit a variety of habitats, including grasslands, chaparral, and riparian areas.

Amphibians spend a portion of their life cycle in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In the Santa Monica Mountains, juvenile amphibians live the first part of their lives in the water before metamorphising into adults. Adults amphibians spend most of their lives on land and return to the water to breed and reproduce.

Since most amphibians have a two-stage life cycle (in water and on land) and have the ability to absorb water and oxygen from their environment through their skin, amphibians are more sensitive to changes in their environment. Because of this, amphibians are recognized worldwide as an indicator of ecosytem health. Unfortunately, amphibains are suffering dramatic declines due to habitat destruction and modification, over-exploitation, pollution, introduced species, climate change, increased ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) and disease.

Click here to download a checklist of the amphibians of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.