摘要
n my country, as elsewhere nformation about animals. n the world, when one wants such as amphibians, one typically seeks out a field guide or a monograph. As the amphibian fauna around the world has grown （from about 4 000 species in 1985 to nearly 7 500 today）, the books, too, have become thicker, heavier, and more and more unwieldy. These books might contain features to assist identification-- written descriptions, keys, photographs and maps of the polygon variety and encompass known sites of occurrence. But the books quickly become out-of-date as knowledge increases and they rarely have information about phylogenetic relationships or display trees. But, we now live in a digital age, and young people, in particular, view books as old-fashioned and inadequate for their needs. The time is ripe for a new approach.
n my country, as elsewhere nformation about animals. n the world, when one wants such as amphibians, one typically seeks out a field guide or a monograph. As the amphibian fauna around the world has grown （from about 4 000 species in 1985 to nearly 7 500 today）, the books, too, have become thicker, heavier, and more and more unwieldy. These books might contain features to assist identification-- written descriptions, keys, photographs and maps of the polygon variety and encompass known sites of occurrence. But the books quickly become out-of-date as knowledge increases and they rarely have information about phylogenetic relationships or display trees. But, we now live in a digital age, and young people, in particular, view books as old-fashioned and inadequate for their needs. The time is ripe for a new approach.
