What is an amphibian?

An amphibian lives the first part of its life in water and then it changes to a form that can live on land. Amphibians are vertebrates. Most amphibians have smooth, moist skin with no hair or scales. They can breathe through their skin. Amphibians are cold blooded. This means their body temperature is the same as their surroundings. Look at the examples of amphibians below:

This is a **salamander**. Salamanders are amphibians.

This is a **newt**. Newts are amphibians.

Salamanders and newts are not lizards even though they look a lot like them. They have smooth moist skin with no scales. Lizards are not amphibians.