Data reference

Amphibian keeping, by the numbers

An original data reference on the 51 amphibians people actually keep — lifespan, adult size, difficulty and setup type, compiled from our fact-checked care sheets. The figures below all trace back to those sheets, so nothing here contradicts our care advice.

Updated July 2026

51kept species in our dataset

33%are beginner-friendly

13.3average lifespan (years)

23can live 20+ years

35%need cool temperatures

30longest typical lifespan (years)

What the data says

The smallest amphibian we cover is the Mimic Poison Dart Frog (about 1–1 in (1.5–2.2 cm)), and the largest is the Amphiuma (up to 14–35 in (35–90 cm)).
Longest-lived: African Bullfrog, Fire Salamander, Mudpuppy, Amphiuma, European Common Toad all commonly reach 10+ years — several can pass 20.
35% need cool temperatures (a ~72°F/22°C ceiling) — mostly the salamanders, newts and axolotls, which is the single most common reason a "hardy" amphibian struggles in a warm home.
33% are beginner-friendly, so there's a genuinely easy choice in most groups — the difficulty is usually the setup, not the animal.

By difficulty

Intermediate24

Beginner17

Advanced9

Expert1

By setup type

Terrestrial21

Aquatic12

Arboreal10

Semi-aquatic8

By group

Tree Frogs10

Dart Frogs9

Frogs9

Salamanders8

Newts8

Toads5

Axolotls1

All Amphibians1

The full dataset (51 species)

Click a column heading to sort. Every figure traces to the linked care sheet.

Species ▲	Group	Difficulty	Setup	Adult size	Lifespan (yrs)
Axolotl	Axolotls	Intermediate	Aquatic · cool	9–12 in (23–30 cm)	10–15
White's Tree Frog	Tree Frogs	Beginner	Arboreal	3–4 in (7–11 cm)	10–20
Red-Eyed Tree Frog	Tree Frogs	Advanced	Arboreal	2–3 in (5–7.5 cm)	5–8
American Green Tree Frog	Tree Frogs	Beginner	Arboreal	1–2 in (3.5–6 cm)	6–9
Gray Tree Frog	Tree Frogs	Beginner	Arboreal	1–2 in (3–6 cm)	7–15
Amazon Milk Frog	Tree Frogs	Intermediate	Arboreal	2–4 in (6–10 cm)	5–10
Waxy Monkey Tree Frog	Tree Frogs	Advanced	Arboreal	2–3 in (5–8 cm)	5–8
Vietnamese Mossy Frog	Tree Frogs	Intermediate	Semi-aquatic · cool	2–4 in (6–9 cm)	5–15
Tiger-Leg Monkey Frog	Tree Frogs	Advanced	Arboreal	2–3 in (4–6.5 cm)	5–8
Clown Tree Frog	Tree Frogs	Intermediate	Arboreal	1–2 in (3–4.5 cm)	4–6
White-Lipped Tree Frog	Tree Frogs	Intermediate	Arboreal	4–6 in (10–14 cm)	10–15
Dyeing Poison Dart Frog	Dart Frogs	Intermediate	Terrestrial	2–2 in (4–5 cm)	10–20
Blue Poison Dart Frog (Azureus)	Dart Frogs	Intermediate	Terrestrial	1–2 in (3–4.5 cm)	10–20
Green-and-Black Poison Dart Frog	Dart Frogs	Intermediate	Terrestrial	1–2 in (2.5–4 cm)	10–20
Bumblebee Poison Dart Frog	Dart Frogs	Intermediate	Terrestrial	1–1 in (3–3.8 cm)	10–20
Golden Poison Frog	Dart Frogs	Intermediate	Terrestrial	2–2 in (4–5.5 cm)	10–20
Mimic Poison Dart Frog	Dart Frogs	Advanced	Arboreal	1–1 in (1.5–2.2 cm)	8–15
Strawberry Poison Dart Frog	Dart Frogs	Advanced	Terrestrial	1–1 in (1.7–2.4 cm)	5–10
Phantasmal Poison Dart Frog	Dart Frogs	Intermediate	Terrestrial	1–1 in (2–2.6 cm)	10–15
Golden Mantella	Dart Frogs	Intermediate	Terrestrial	1–1 in (2–2.5 cm)	12–18
Pacman Frog	Frogs	Beginner	Terrestrial	3–7 in (7–18 cm)	6–12
African Bullfrog	Frogs	Beginner	Terrestrial	4–10 in (10–25 cm)	20–30
African Dwarf Frog	Frogs	Beginner	Aquatic	1–2 in (3–4 cm)	5–10
African Clawed Frog	Frogs	Beginner	Aquatic	4–5 in (10–13 cm)	10–20
Fire-Bellied Toad	Frogs	Beginner	Semi-aquatic	2–2 in (4–6 cm)	10–20
Tomato Frog	Frogs	Beginner	Terrestrial	2–4 in (6–10 cm)	6–12
Budgett's Frog	Frogs	Intermediate	Aquatic	3–5 in (8–13 cm)	5–10
Asian Painted Frog	Frogs	Beginner	Terrestrial	2–3 in (5.5–7.5 cm)	8–12
Surinam Toad	Frogs	Advanced	Aquatic	4–8 in (10–20 cm)	7–15
American Toad	Toads	Beginner	Terrestrial	2–4 in (5–9 cm)	10–15
European Common Toad	Toads	Beginner	Terrestrial · cool	3–5 in (8–13 cm)	10–25
Cane Toad	Toads	Beginner	Terrestrial	4–6 in (10–15 cm)	10–15
Colorado River Toad	Toads	Intermediate	Terrestrial	4–7 in (11–19 cm)	10–20
Green Toad	Toads	Beginner	Terrestrial	2–4 in (5–9 cm)	8–12
Tiger Salamander	Salamanders	Beginner	Terrestrial · cool	6–12 in (15–30 cm)	10–16
Fire Salamander	Salamanders	Intermediate	Terrestrial · cool	6–10 in (15–25 cm)	20–30
Spotted Salamander	Salamanders	Intermediate	Terrestrial · cool	6–10 in (15–25 cm)	18–25
Marbled Salamander	Salamanders	Intermediate	Terrestrial · cool	4–5 in (9–12 cm)	8–12
Tiger Salamander (Aquatic/Neotenic)	Salamanders	Intermediate	Aquatic · cool	8–12 in (20–30 cm)	10–15
Mudpuppy	Salamanders	Advanced	Aquatic · cool	8–13 in (20–33 cm)	20–30
Siren	Salamanders	Advanced	Aquatic	12–28 in (30–70 cm)	15–25
Amphiuma	Salamanders	Expert	Aquatic · cool	14–35 in (35–90 cm)	15–27
Chinese Fire-Bellied Newt	Newts	Beginner	Semi-aquatic · cool	2–4 in (6–10 cm)	10–20
Spanish Ribbed Newt	Newts	Beginner	Aquatic · cool	6–12 in (15–30 cm)	10–20
Japanese Fire-Bellied Newt	Newts	Intermediate	Semi-aquatic · cool	3–5 in (8–13 cm)	10–25
Paddletail Newt	Newts	Intermediate	Aquatic · cool	5–7 in (12–18 cm)	10–20
Eastern Newt	Newts	Intermediate	Semi-aquatic · cool	3–5 in (7–12 cm)	12–18
Alpine Newt	Newts	Intermediate	Semi-aquatic · cool	3–5 in (7–12 cm)	10–20
Emperor Newt	Newts	Intermediate	Semi-aquatic · cool	5–8 in (12–20 cm)	10–20
Kaiser's Spotted Newt	Newts	Advanced	Semi-aquatic · cool	4–6 in (10–14 cm)	10–20
Aquatic Caecilian	All Amphibians	Intermediate	Aquatic	12–22 in (30–55 cm)	5–12

Methodology & sources

This dataset covers the 51 amphibian species people keep that have a fact-checked care sheet on Bognook (our sourced gate) — not all ~8,700 wild amphibian species. Lifespan ranges are the typical captive figures stated in those care sheets. Adult size is typical adult total length compiled from standard natural-history references (AmphibiaWeb,Caudata Culture, Josh's Frogs) — the same authorities the care sheets draw on. Ranges describe typical adults, not extreme records (a few species, like the African bullfrog, have exceptional individuals well beyond the range shown).