Amphibias
Amphibias are animals closely linked with the water: many amphibias live in the water for throughout their life, other amphibians seek water only for reproduction and to lay their eggs. However, they live in humid environments such as woods and they come out mainly at night.
The skin of amphibias is covered in mucus to keep it moist, this is because amphibias breathe through both their lungs and skin. The main families of amphibians are the anurans, such as frogs and toads, which reabsorb their tails as adults and the urodels, such as newts, which keep their tails as adults.
The typical reproductive cycle of amphibians consists of:
- spawning in water;
- birth of aquatic tadpoles;
- metamorphosis into adult.
To encourage the reproduction of the amphibians that are present in the park, Parco Nord Milano has created artificial puddles in various areas frequented by amphibians. The creation of puddles was possible thanks to the monitoring of the behavioral habits of the various species carried out by the GEV and the Park Rangers. For this reason, the GEV ensure that dogs do not go into the puddles because they could destroy the very delicate eggs. Fishing for tadpoles is another potential danger to amphibians in the park and it is a criminal offence. The main species that we find in the Parco Nord Milano are the green frog and the Balearic green toad (protected in Italy) for the anurans, while for the urodels we find the smooth newt.