Eyewitness Video: Amphibian [VHS]

Eyewitness Video: Amphibian [VHS] Review

Eyewitness -- bringing the natural world into your living room.

The Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Video: Amphibian, teaches us that amphibians provide a clue to the evolution of life from the water onto land. Amphibians are born like fish and during their development grow legs, which allow them maneuverability in their adult home-- on dry land. Frogs and toads are probably what first spring to mind when we picture amphibians, in fact 9 out of 10 amphibians are a species of frog or toad, but the family also includes other creatures like newts and salamanders. Using exciting footage of amphibians in both the Eyewitness studio and in their natural habitat, this educational and entertaining video covers everything from princesses kissing frogs to meet their prince to the anatomy, diet, defenses, reproductive systems and life cycles of many different species. Most people would be hard pressed to differentiate between a frog and a toad, but they do have their differences. Toads we learn, walk and have dry bumpy skin. Frogs jump and have smooth wet skin. Perhaps the toad's bumpy skin is what associates them with wicked spells, even the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth add toads to their bubbling cauldron, but contrary to another belief, they are not a cause of warts. Some species of frogs however can be dangerous. In fact, the poison contained in one Golden Dart Frog could kill 1,000 grown men. The video also covers subjects ranging from the amphibian's ability to survive in both arctic and desert climates to the human practice of toad licking. Over the thirty minute running-time, we learn that each step of growth from tadpole to frog essentially echoes millions of years of evolution, for the same genetic material that allowed frogs to first crawl on land eventually made birds, reptiles, mammals and even humans. Both thorough and easy to understand, this fascinating addition to the Eyewitness series will give viewers a deeper understanding of amphibians, whether we are scared of them or carried them home in our pockets as children.