#ArtYourAmphibian2020 - Nina McDonnell Round Paper Coaster

One of the top five #ArtYourAmphibian design winners in 2020! Nina McDonnell, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Research Assistant From the artist: This design celebrates amphibian diversity and important developments in our understanding of amphibian biology from the last 20 years. Each of the three species represented comes from a different taxonomic order and region. The American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) is a charismatic anuran from eastern North America. With its stout legs and warty skin, it is one of my favourite species to encounter in the field. American toad tadpoles can aggregate in large groups that carpet pond bottoms or swarm across the surface in mesmerising shoals. The long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) is native to the Pacific Northwest. In addition to its vibrant and highly variable coloration, this salamander is noteable for its startling vocalisations and tail-waving behaviour, employed to deter the encroaching predator or probing herpetologist. The third species featured is Ichthyophis glutinosus-- a caecilian from Sri Lanka. Great progress has been made in the classification of caecilians in the past 20 years; however, with many of their mysteries still unsolved, we can look forward to learning more about this fossorial group in the times to come. A DNA double helix and assorted microbes (not to scale) are also incorporated in the design to represent developments in amphibian biology from the past two decades, including revised phylogenies and exciting discoveries about the role of the skin microbiome in amphibian health.