I love amphibians of all flavors, like frogs and salamanders, because they eat evil blood suckers like mosquitoes and black flies. Katie Feldman, of Vermont, started a website, www.SaveTheSalamanders.org that explains their plight and what we can do to help our amphibious friends.

And in this related story…

Visitors to Hamburg parks are being warned to watch out for exploding toads. Several thousand toads in the city’s parks have so far mysteriously spontaneously exploded, sending entrails and toad body parts over a wide area. Vets and animal welfare workers said the mystery has decimated the city’s toad population as well as the unpleasant problem of leaving toad parts scattered around parks and open spaces. Eyewitnesses say the toads swell up to three and a half times their normal size before suddenly exploding — sending entrails flying metres into the air. … ‘It’s a real puzzle,’ agreed Janne Kloepper from the Hamburg Institute for Hygiene and the Environment, adding: ‘If this keeps up, there will be no toads left in Hamburg. [original story]