Word Origin & History. moniker 1849, said to be originally a hobo term (but attested in London underclass from 1851), of uncertain origin; perhaps from monk (monks and nuns take new names with their vows, and early 19c. British tramps referred to themselves as in the monkery).
northern American bull frog (female) Frogs, toads, and salamanders belong to a class of animals called Amphibians. They are vertebrates (back-boned animals) with smooth (moist) or warty skins. They lay unshelled eggs, usually in water, and most species have a gilled, swimming larval stage (such as a tadpole).
Like the frogs, most salamanders have a larval stage in the water and an adult stage which may be spent in water or on land. They are carnivorous in both stages of life. Like frogs, most salamanders lay their eggs in water. The larvae which hatch in the water have gills for breathing. The gills are lost when the salamander changes into an adult. Some salamanders lay their eggs in moist places on land and their young bypass the aquatic stage.