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Amphibia

vr.tr.amphibia · thing-q10908

Let an agent handle amphibians by group, species, biology, conservation, safe handling and legal protection.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.LIV
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identify Which amphibian.

Group

Order.

Group

Order.

  1. Is it a frog, salamander or caecilian? definition
  2. Which species is it, according to a field guide? provenance

Stage

Life stage.

Stage

Life stage.

  1. Is it a tadpole, juvenile or adult? definition
  2. When does metamorphosis happen? provenance
Biology How they live.

Skin

Permeable skin.

Skin

Skin.

  1. How does permeable skin affect respiration and sensitivity to pollutants? definition
  2. Are its secretions toxic? provenance

Breeding

Reproduction.

Breeding

Breeding.

  1. When and where does this species breed? provenance
  2. Does it migrate to ponds? provenance
Conservation Threats.

Status

Red List.

Status

Conservation status.

  1. What is the IUCN Red List status of this species? provenance
  2. What are the main threats? provenance

Law

Protection.

Law

Legal protection.

  1. Is it legally protected here, and is handling allowed? provenance
  2. Is a licence needed for surveys? provenance
Help Practical action.

Garden

Ponds.

Garden

Garden ponds.

  1. How can a wildlife-friendly pond be created? action
  2. Should animals or spawn be moved between ponds? boundary

Migration

Road crossings.

Migration

Road crossings.

  1. Which toad patrol or crossing projects operate here? provenance
  2. How can volunteers help safely? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.LIV
Other names and narrower kinds
tadpole, poisonous amphibian, fossil amphibian, invasive amphibian, Precil, Temnospondyli, toad, Kermitops, Kermitops gratus, Dissorophoidea, Amphibamiformes

What it is Filled

A class of ectothermic vertebrates comprising frogs and toads (Anura), salamanders and newts (Caudata) and caecilians (Gymnophiona), with more than 8,000 species; most have aquatic larvae such as tadpoles and permeable skin, and many are threatened by habitat loss and chytrid fungal disease.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent handle amphibians by group, species, biology, conservation, safe handling and legal protection.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Ectothermic vertebrates
  • Permeable skin
  • Often biphasic life cycle
  • Highly threatened

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Collect, move or release amphibians or their water in ways that spread disease such as chytrid fungus.
  • Handle protected species without a licence.
  • Handle toxic species without care or advise people to do so.
  • Disclose locations of rare populations in ways that invite collecting.

Only with a human decision

  • Any capture, relocation or rescue of amphibians.

May

  • Identify amphibians and report their conservation status from official species databases.
  • Report sightings to recording schemes without disclosing sensitive locations publicly.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Amphibians are among the most threatened animals; human movement spreads diseases that wipe out populations.
  • Individual animals can suffer from handling and from collection for the pet trade.

Who is affected

  • The animals themselves
  • Ecosystems that depend on them
  • People handling toxic species

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody: wild and protected by law in many places; captive animals belong to their keepers.

Master systems

  • Species and conservation status databases
  • Biological recording schemes

Links to other meta-models Filled

related

  • tetrapod - category
  • frog - example
  • tadpole - larva
  • chytridiomycosis - threat

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.amphibia
  • Wikidata: Q10908 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10908)

Direct properties required Filled

  • Body length: millimetres - Measure length using a group-appropriate anatomical convention and record species and life stage.
  • Body mass: grams - Measure mass with a suitable balance and record species, life stage and hydration condition.
  • Body temperature: degrees Celsius - Measure temperature with a validated method and record environmental conditions because these animals are ectothermic.
  • Cutaneous water loss rate: milligrams per square centimetre per hour - Determine water loss under controlled humidity and temperature using a validated method appropriate to the species.

Recognition required Filled

  • Moist, scaleless skin
  • Tadpoles and metamorphosis
  • Lizards are reptiles with dry scaly skin
  • Moist-skinned animals such as frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and legless caecilians.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • identify amphibian groups and species
  • describe life cycles and biology
  • find conservation status and protections
  • help amphibians safely, such as during migrations

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Spreading disease by moving animals or water
  • Toxic skin secretions of some species
  • Collecting protected species

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • EU Habitats Directive
  • CITES for traded species
  • National wildlife protection law

Context of use required Filled

  • Biodiversity, ecology and conservation.
  • frogs and toads (Anura)
  • salamanders and newts (Caudata)
  • caecilians (Gymnophiona)
  • fossil groups such as temnospondyls

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q10908: Amphibia - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Amphibian - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should orders be separate entries?
  • How should AmphibiaWeb be linked?
  • How should local protections be linked?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q10908/spec.json