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142-423: The park borders Montenegro in the north and Nikaj-Mërtur Regional Nature Park in the south. The park was created as an almalgamation of Theth National Park ( Albanian : Parku Kombëtar i Thethit ), Valbona Valley National Park , and Gashi Nature Reserve . Theth National Park was established in 1966, covering 2,630 ha (26.3 km) around the larger portion of Shala Valley . Valbona Valley National Park

284-634: A Venetian calque of the Montenegrin phrase " Crna Gora ", meaning literally "Black Mountain", deriving from the appearance of Mount Lovćen which was covered in dense evergreen forests. Crna Gora was mentioned for the first time in edicts issued by Stefan Uroš I to the Serbian Orthodox Zeta Episcopate seat at Vranjina island in Lake Skadar . It came to denote the majority of contemporary Montenegro in

426-676: A theocracy and later as a secular principality . Montenegro's independence was recognised by the Great Powers at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1910, the country became a kingdom . After World War I , the kingdom became part of Yugoslavia . Following the breakup of Yugoslavia , the republics of Serbia and Montenegro together proclaimed a federation . In June 2006 Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia and Montenegro following an independence referendum , creating Montenegro and Serbia as they exist today. Montenegro

568-402: A blue-green colour) and the lipophores (yellow, the most superficial layer). The colour change displayed by many species is initiated by hormones secreted by the pituitary gland. Unlike bony fish, there is no direct control of the pigment cells by the nervous system, and this results in the colour change taking place more slowly than happens in fish. A vividly coloured skin usually indicates that

710-410: A comparatively slow diffusion rate for oxygen entering the blood. Ventilation is accomplished by buccal pumping . Most amphibians, however, are able to exchange gases with the water or air via their skin. To enable sufficient cutaneous respiration , the surface of their highly vascularised skin must remain moist to allow the oxygen to diffuse at a sufficiently high rate. Because oxygen concentration in

852-716: A dramatic decline in amphibian populations for many species around the globe. The earliest amphibians evolved in the Devonian period from tetrapodomorph sarcopterygians (lobe-finned fish with articulated limb -like fins ) that evolved primitive lungs, which were helpful in adapting to dry land. They diversified and became ecologically dominant during the Carboniferous and Permian periods, but were later displaced in terrestrial environments by early reptiles and basal synapsids (predecessors of mammals). The origin of modern lissamphibians, which first appeared during

994-526: A member of NATO in June 2017, despite attempts by Russia to sabotage it, an event that triggered a promise of retaliatory actions from Russia's government . Montenegro has been in negotiations with the EU since 2012. In 2018, the earlier goal of acceding by 2022 was revised to 2025. Legislation is being passed bringing Montenegro law in line with EU membership requirements. In April 2018, Milo Djukanovic ,

1136-551: A membranous skin which allows them to absorb water directly through it. Some semi-aquatic animals also have similarly permeable bladder membrane. As a result, they tend to have high rates of urine production to offset this high water intake, and have urine which is low in dissolved salts. The urinary bladder assists such animals to retain salts. Some aquatic amphibian such as Xenopus do not reabsorb water, to prevent excessive water influx. For land-dwelling amphibians, dehydration results in reduced urine output. The amphibian bladder

1278-406: A moulting process controlled by the pituitary and thyroid glands. Local thickenings (often called warts) are common, such as those found on toads. The outside of the skin is shed periodically mostly in one piece, in contrast to mammals and birds where it is shed in flakes. Amphibians often eat the sloughed skin. Caecilians are unique among amphibians in having mineralized dermal scales embedded in

1420-590: A new agreement for continued cooperation and entered into negotiations regarding the future status of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . This resulted in the Belgrade Agreement, which saw the country's transformation into a more decentralised state union named Serbia and Montenegro in 2003. The Belgrade Agreement also contained a provision delaying any future referendum on the independence of Montenegro for at least three years. The status of

1562-417: A pair of short tentacles near the eye that can be extended and which have tactile and olfactory functions. Most caecilians live underground in burrows in damp soil, in rotten wood and under plant debris, but some are aquatic. Most species lay their eggs underground and when the larvae hatch, they make their way to adjacent bodies of water. Others brood their eggs and the larvae undergo metamorphosis before

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1704-489: A process known as autotomy . Certain species in the Plethodontidae have a weak zone at the base of the tail and use this strategy readily. The tail often continues to twitch after separation which may distract the attacker and allow the salamander to escape. Both tails and limbs can be regenerated. Adult frogs are unable to regrow limbs but tadpoles can do so. Amphibians have a juvenile stage and an adult stage, and

1846-736: A pump action in which air is first drawn into the buccopharyngeal region through the nostrils. These are then closed and the air is forced into the lungs by contraction of the throat. They supplement this with gas exchange through the skin. The order Anura (from the Ancient Greek a(n)- meaning "without" and oura meaning "tail") comprises the frogs and toads. They usually have long hind limbs that fold underneath them, shorter forelimbs, webbed toes with no claws, no tails, large eyes and glandular moist skin. Members of this order with smooth skins are commonly referred to as frogs, while those with warty skins are known as toads. The difference

1988-657: A puppet Kingdom of Montenegro . In May, the Montenegrin branch of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia started preparations for an uprising planned for mid-July. The Communist Party and its Youth League organised 6,000 of its members into detachments prepared for guerrilla warfare . According to some historians, the first armed uprising in Nazi -occupied Europe happened on 13 July 1941 in Montenegro. Unexpectedly,

2130-557: A reduction in both the amphibians' size and their importance in the biosphere . According to the fossil record, Lissamphibia , which includes all modern amphibians and is the only surviving lineage, may have branched off from the extinct groups Temnospondyli and Lepospondyli at some period between the Late Carboniferous and the Early Triassic. The relative scarcity of fossil evidence precludes precise dating, but

2272-432: A secondary respiratory interface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles like lizards , but unlike reptiles and other amniotes , require access to water bodies to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators to habitat conditions; in recent decades there has been

2414-431: A single ventricle and two atria. When the ventricle starts contracting, deoxygenated blood is pumped through the pulmonary artery to the lungs. Continued contraction then pumps oxygenated blood around the rest of the body. Mixing of the two bloodstreams is minimized by the anatomy of the chambers. The nervous system is basically the same as in other vertebrates, with a central brain, a spinal cord, and nerves throughout

2556-405: A slower growth and development rate compared to other vertebrates. Another reason for their size is associated with their rapid metamorphosis, which seems to have evolved only in the ancestors of lissamphibia; in all other known lines the development was much more gradual. Because a remodeling of the feeding apparatus means they do not eat during the metamorphosis, the metamorphosis has to go faster

2698-449: A snake- or worm-like form. The adults vary in length from 8 to 75 centimetres (3 to 30 inches) with the exception of Thomson's caecilian ( Caecilia thompsoni ), which can reach 150 cm (59 in). A caecilian's skin has a large number of transverse folds and in some species contains tiny embedded dermal scales. It has rudimentary eyes covered in skin, which are probably limited to discerning differences in light intensity. It also has

2840-419: A sticky tip and drawing it back into the mouth before seizing the item with their jaws. Some use inertial feeding to help them swallow the prey, repeatedly thrusting their head forward sharply causing the food to move backwards in their mouth by inertia . Most amphibians swallow their prey whole without much chewing so they possess voluminous stomachs. The short oesophagus is lined with cilia that help to move

2982-565: A temnospondyl-like ancestor, and even that caecilians are the sister group of the advanced reptiliomorph amphibians, and thus of amniotes. Although the fossils of several older proto-frogs with primitive characteristics are known, the oldest "true frog", with hopping adaptations is Prosalirus bitis , from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona. It is anatomically very similar to modern frogs. The oldest known caecilians are Funcusvermis gilmorei (from

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3124-551: A total population of 633,158 people in an area of 13,812 km (5,333 sq mi). It is bordered by Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, Albania to the southeast, Croatia to the west, and has a coastline along the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. The capital and largest city is Podgorica , while Cetinje is the Old Royal Capital and cultural centre. Before

3266-518: A wide variety of habitats , with most species living in freshwater , wetland or terrestrial ecosystems (such as riparian woodland , fossorial and even arboreal habitats). Their life cycle typically starts out as aquatic larvae with gills known as tadpoles , but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. Young amphibians generally undergo metamorphosis from an aquatic larval form with gills to an air-breathing adult form with lungs . Amphibians use their skin as

3408-432: Is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic membrane , such as modern reptiles , birds and mammals ). All extant (living) amphibians belong to the monophyletic subclass Lissamphibia , with three living orders : Anura ( frogs ), Urodela ( salamanders ), and Gymnophiona ( caecilians ). Evolved to be mostly semiaquatic , amphibians have adapted to inhabit

3550-475: Is a polyparaphyletic group without unique defining features apart from shared primitive characteristics . Classification varies according to the preferred phylogeny of the author and whether they use a stem-based or a node-based classification. Traditionally, amphibians as a class are defined as all tetrapods with a larval stage, while the group that includes the common ancestors of all living amphibians (frogs, salamanders and caecilians) and all their descendants

3692-588: Is also a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean , and has been in the process of joining the European Union since 2012. Montenegro's ( / ˌ m ɒ n t ɪ ˈ n iː ɡ r oʊ , - ˈ n eɪ ɡ r oʊ , - ˈ n ɛ ɡ r oʊ / MON -tin- E(E)G -roh, -⁠ AY -groh ; Montenegrin : Crna Gora / Црна Гора ; Albanian : Mali i Zi ) English name derives from

3834-728: Is also found in Central America and South America north of the Amazon basin ; South America was apparently invaded from Central America by about the start of the Miocene , 23 million years ago. Urodela is a name sometimes used for all the extant species of salamanders. Members of several salamander families have become paedomorphic and either fail to complete their metamorphosis or retain some larval characteristics as adults. Most salamanders are under 15 cm (5.9 in) long. They may be terrestrial or aquatic and many spend part of

3976-492: Is approximately 8,000, of which nearly 90% are frogs. The smallest amphibian (and vertebrate) in the world is a frog from New Guinea ( Paedophryne amauensis ) with a length of just 7.7 mm (0.30 in). The largest living amphibian is the 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) South China giant salamander ( Andrias sligoi ), but this is dwarfed by prehistoric temnospondyls such as Mastodonsaurus which could reach up to 6 m (20 ft) in length. The study of amphibians

4118-492: Is called batrachology , while the study of both reptiles and amphibians is called herpetology . The word amphibian is derived from the Ancient Greek term ἀμφίβιος ( amphíbios ), which means 'both kinds of life', ἀμφί meaning 'of both kinds' and βίος meaning 'life'. The term was initially used as a general adjective for animals that could live on land or in water, including seals and otters. Traditionally,

4260-787: Is called Lissamphibia. The phylogeny of Paleozoic amphibians is uncertain, and Lissamphibia may possibly fall within extinct groups, like the Temnospondyli (traditionally placed in the subclass Labyrinthodontia) or the Lepospondyli, and in some analyses even in the amniotes. This means that advocates of phylogenetic nomenclature have removed a large number of basal Devonian and Carboniferous amphibian-type tetrapod groups that were formerly placed in Amphibia in Linnaean taxonomy , and included them elsewhere under cladistic taxonomy . If

4402-519: Is divided into three suborders that are broadly accepted by the scientific community, but the relationships between some families remain unclear. Future molecular studies should provide further insights into their evolutionary relationships. The suborder Archaeobatrachia contains four families of primitive frogs. These are Ascaphidae , Bombinatoridae , Discoglossidae and Leiopelmatidae which have few derived features and are probably paraphyletic with regard to other frog lineages. The six families in

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4544-498: Is likely to be external as sirenids lack the cloacal glands used by male salamandrids to produce spermatophores and the females lack spermathecae for sperm storage. Despite this, the eggs are laid singly, a behaviour not conducive for external fertilisation. The order Gymnophiona (from the Greek gymnos meaning "naked" and ophis meaning "serpent") or Apoda comprises the caecilians. These are long, cylindrical, limbless animals with

4686-402: Is low and as a result, their food and energy requirements are limited. In the adult state, they have tear ducts and movable eyelids, and most species have ears that can detect airborne or ground vibrations. They have muscular tongues, which in many species can be protruded. Modern amphibians have fully ossified vertebrae with articular processes . Their ribs are usually short and may be fused to

4828-504: Is mainly covered with common beech , silver fir and sycamore , between 900 metres and 1,900 metres. The alpine floor, lying at an altitude which ranges between 1,900 metres to 2,300 metres, is characterized by herbaceous plants and shrubs most notable amongst them is the juniper and willow . Moreover, the most important plants of this floor include the alpine bluegrass , alpine aster , trefoil and common bird's-foot trefoil . Only 20 species of mammals has been recorded within

4970-654: Is not a formal one taxonomically and there are numerous exceptions to this rule. Members of the family Bufonidae are known as the "true toads". Frogs range in size from the 30-centimetre (12 in) Goliath frog ( Conraua goliath ) of West Africa to the 7.7-millimetre (0.30 in) Paedophryne amauensis , first described in Papua New Guinea in 2012, which is also the smallest known vertebrate. Although most species are associated with water and damp habitats, some are specialised to live in trees or in deserts. They are found worldwide except for polar areas. Anura

5112-652: Is part of a large preserved ecosystem all of which is primarily untouched with pristine quality. Biogeographically , the Dinaric Mountains mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome occur in the park. There are three types of forest found at the park. The oak floor extends from an altitude between 600 metres up to 800 metres and is dominated, among other by austrian oak , oriental hornbeam , hophornbeam , cornel and flowering ash . The beech floor

5254-404: Is the columella-operculum complex adjoining the auditory capsule which is involved in the transmission of both airborne and seismic signals. The ears of salamanders and caecilians are less highly developed than those of frogs as they do not normally communicate with each other through the medium of sound. The eyes of tadpoles lack lids, but at metamorphosis, the cornea becomes more dome-shaped,

5396-835: Is therefore one of the newest internationally recognised countries in the world. Montenegro has an upper-middle-income economy , mostly service-based , and is in late transition to a market economy . It is a member of the United Nations , NATO , the World Trade Organization , the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe , the Council of Europe , and the Central European Free Trade Agreement . Montenegro

5538-432: Is usually highly distensible and among some land-dwelling species of frogs and salamanders may account for between 20% and 50% of their total body weight. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters into the bladder and is periodically released from the bladder to the cloaca. The lungs in amphibians are primitive compared to those of amniotes, possessing few internal septa and large alveoli , and consequently having

5680-940: The Bay of Kotor . After the second session of the AVNOJ during World War II in Yugoslavia , the contemporary modern state of Montenegro was founded as the Federal State of Montenegro ( Montenegrin : Савезна држава Црне Горе / Savezna država Crne Gore ) on 15 November 1943 within the Yugoslav Federation by the ZAVNOCGB . After the war, Montenegro became a republic under its name, the People's Republic of Montenegro ( Montenegrin : Народна Република Црна Гора / Narodna Republika Crna Gora ) on 29 November 1945. In 1963, it

5822-513: The Chinese giant salamander ( Andrias davidianus ), which has been reported to grow to a length of 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in), to the diminutive Thorius pennatulus from Mexico which seldom exceeds 20 mm (0.8 in) in length. Salamanders have a mostly Laurasian distribution, being present in much of the Holarctic region of the northern hemisphere. The family Plethodontidae

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5964-712: The Great Powers to officially demarcate the borders between Montenegro and Ottoman Empire, de facto recognizing Montenegro's independence. In the Battle of Vučji Do Montenegrins inflicted a major defeat on the Ottoman Army under Grand Vizier Ahmed Muhtar Pasha . In the aftermath of the Russian victory against the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 , the major powers restructured

6106-587: The Japanese giant salamander ( Andrias japonicus ) and the hellbender ( Cryptobranchus alleganiensis ) from North America. These large amphibians retain several larval characteristics in their adult state; gills slits are present and the eyes are unlidded. A unique feature is their ability to feed by suction, depressing either the left side of their lower jaw or the right. The males excavate nests, persuade females to lay their egg strings inside them, and guard them. As well as breathing with lungs, they respire through

6248-613: The Karađorđević dynasty and opposing communism went on to become Chetniks , and turned to collaboration with Italians against the Partisans. War broke out between Partisans and Chetniks during the first half of 1942. Pressured by Italians and Chetniks, the core of the Montenegrin Partisans went to Serbia and Bosnia, where they joined with other Yugoslav Partisans. Fighting between Partisans and Chetniks continued through

6390-873: The Liberal Alliance of Montenegro , the Social Democratic and Socialist Parties, as well as minority parties such as the Democratic League in Montenegro , leading to a relatively low turnout of 66%. During the 1991–1995 Bosnian War and Croatian War , Montenegrin police and military forces, under orders of president Momir Bulatovic and Interior Minister Pavle Bulatovic joined Serbian troops in attacks on Dubrovnik , Croatia. These operations, aimed at acquiring more territory, were characterised by large-scale violations of human rights. Montenegrin General Pavle Strugar

6532-738: The Neretva River. Nicholas's grandson, the Serb King Alexander I , dominated the Yugoslav government. Zeta Banovina was one of nine banovinas that formed the kingdom; it consisted of the present-day Montenegro and parts of Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia. In April 1941, Nazi Germany , the Kingdom of Italy , and other Axis allies attacked and occupied the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Italian forces occupied Montenegro and established

6674-429: The axolotl ) retaining gills as aquatic adults. For the purpose of reproduction , most amphibians require fresh water although some lay their eggs on land and have developed various means of keeping them moist. A few (e.g. Fejervarya raja ) can inhabit brackish water, but there are no true marine amphibians. There are reports, however, of particular amphibian populations unexpectedly invading marine waters. Such

6816-427: The dermis between the furrows in the skin. The similarity of these to the scales of bony fish is largely superficial. Lizards and some frogs have somewhat similar osteoderms forming bony deposits in the dermis, but this is an example of convergent evolution with similar structures having arisen independently in diverse vertebrate lineages. Amphibian skin is permeable to water. Gas exchange can take place through

6958-617: The fossil record , the discovery of the dissorophoid temnospondyl Gerobatrachus from the Early Permian in Texas in 2008 provided a missing link with many of the characteristics of modern frogs. Molecular analysis suggests that the frog–salamander divergence took place considerably earlier than the palaeontological evidence indicates. One study suggested that the last common ancestor of all modern amphibians lived about 315 million years ago, and that stereospondyl temnospondyls are

7100-418: The lens becomes flatter, and eyelids and associated glands and ducts develop. The adult eyes are an improvement on invertebrate eyes and were a first step in the development of more advanced vertebrate eyes. They allow colour vision and depth of focus. In the retinas are green rods, which are receptive to a wide range of wavelengths. Many amphibians catch their prey by flicking out an elongated tongue with

7242-463: The parotoids , produce the neurotoxin bufotoxin and are located behind the ears of toads, along the backs of frogs, behind the eyes of salamanders and on the upper surface of caecilians. The skin colour of amphibians is produced by three layers of pigment cells called chromatophores . These three cell layers consist of the melanophores (occupying the deepest layer), the guanophores (forming an intermediate layer and containing many granules, producing

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7384-494: The stapes of the amphibian ear, an adaptation necessary for hearing on dry land. An affinity between the amphibians and the teleost fish is the multi-folded structure of the teeth and the paired supra-occipital bones at the back of the head, neither of these features being found elsewhere in the animal kingdom. At the end of the Devonian period (360 million years ago), the seas, rivers and lakes were teeming with life while

7526-659: The 13th century, Zeta had replaced Duklja when referring to the realm. In the late 14th century, southern Montenegro ( Zeta ) came under the rule of the Balšić noble family , then the Crnojević noble family , and by the 15th century, Zeta was more often referred to as Crna Gora . In 1421, Zeta was annexed to the Serbian Despotate , but after 1455, another noble family from Zeta, the Crnojevićs , became sovereign rulers of

7668-544: The 14th and 15th centuries. From the late 14th century to the late 18th century, large parts of southern Montenegro were ruled by the Venetian Republic and incorporated into Venetian Albania . The name Montenegro was first used to refer to the country in the late 15th century. After falling under Ottoman Empire rule, Montenegro gained semi-autonomy in 1696 under the rule of the House of Petrović-Njegoš , first as

7810-589: The 15th century. Modern-day Montenegro was more and more known by that name in the historical period following the fall of the Serbian Despotate in 1459. Originally, it had referred to only a small strip of land under the rule of the Paštrovići tribe, but the name eventually came to be used for the wider mountainous region after the Crnojević noble family took power in Upper Zeta . The aforementioned region became known as Stara Crna Gora ' Old Montenegro ' by

7952-498: The 19th century to distinguish the independent region from the neighbouring Ottoman-occupied Montenegrin territory of Brda (the "Highlands"). Montenegro further increased its size several times by the 20th century, as the result of wars against the Ottoman Empire , which saw the annexation of Old Herzegovina and parts of Metohija and southern Raška . Its borders have changed little since then, losing Metohija and gaining

8094-637: The Albanerpetontidae, is now considered part of Lissamphibia alongside the superorder Salientia. Furthermore, Salientia includes all three recent orders plus the Triassic proto-frog, Triadobatrachus . The first major groups of amphibians developed in the Devonian period, around 370 million years ago, from lobe-finned fish which were similar to the modern coelacanth and lungfish . These ancient lobe-finned fish had evolved multi-jointed leg-like fins with digits that enabled them to crawl along

8236-559: The Early Triassic, around 250 million years ago, has long been contentious. The most popular hypothesis is that they likely originated from temnospondyls , the most diverse group of prehistoric amphibians, during the Permian period. Another hypothesis is that they emerged from lepospondyls. A fourth group of lissamphibians, the Albanerpetontidae , became extinct around 2 million years ago. The number of known amphibian species

8378-656: The German Deutsche Mark as its currency and subsequently adopted the euro , although not part of the Eurozone . Subsequent governments pursued pro-independence policies, and political tensions with Serbia simmered despite political changes in Belgrade . Targets in Montenegro were bombed by NATO forces during Operation Allied Force in 1999, although the extent of these attacks was limited in both time and area affected. In 2002, Serbia and Montenegro came to

8520-645: The Late Triassic) and Eocaecilia micropodia (from the Early Jurassic), both from Arizona. The earliest salamander is Beiyanerpeton jianpingensis from the Late Jurassic of northeastern China. Authorities disagree as to whether Salientia is a superorder that includes the order Anura, or whether Anura is a sub-order of the order Salientia. The Lissamphibia are traditionally divided into three orders , but an extinct salamander-like family,

8662-458: The Montenegrin opposition, Serbian nationals and Russian agents; the coup was prevented. In 2017, fourteen people, including two Russian nationals and two Montenegrin opposition leaders, Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević , were indicted for their alleged roles in the coup attempt on charges such as "preparing a conspiracy against the constitutional order and the security of Montenegro" and an "attempted terrorist act." Montenegro formally became

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8804-587: The Ottoman Empire that permitted Montenegrin clans freedom from certain restrictions. Nevertheless, the Montenegrins were disgruntled with Ottoman rule, and in the 17th century, repeatedly rebelled, which culminated in the defeat of the Ottomans in the Great Turkish War at the end of that century. Montenegrin territories were controlled by warlike clans. Most clans had a chieftain ( knez ), who

8946-418: The Ottoman Empire. Minor border skirmishes excepted, diplomacy ushered in about 30 years of peace between the two states until the deposition of Abdul Hamid II in 1909. The political skills of Abdul Hamid II and Nicholas I played a major role in the mutually amicable relations. Modernization of the state followed, culminating with the draft of a Constitution in 1905. However, political rifts emerged between

9088-736: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE), and the European Parliament (EP) to form an International Referendum Observation Mission (IROM). The IROM—in its preliminary report—"assessed compliance of the referendum process with OSCE commitments, Council of Europe commitments, other international standards for democratic electoral processes, and domestic legislation." Furthermore,

9230-578: The Partisans in May and June 1943, Germans disarmed many Chetniks without fighting, as they feared they would turn against them in case of an Allied invasion of the Balkans. After the capitulation of Italy in September 1943, Partisans managed to take hold of most of Montenegro for a brief time, but Montenegro was soon occupied by German forces , and fierce fighting continued during late 1943 and 1944. Montenegro

9372-429: The adult, passing through the tadpole stage within the egg. Reproductive success of many amphibians is dependent not only on the quantity of rainfall, but the seasonal timing. In the tropics, many amphibians breed continuously or at any time of year. In temperate regions, breeding is mostly seasonal, usually in the spring, and is triggered by increasing day length, rising temperatures or rainfall. Experiments have shown

9514-432: The arrival of the Slav peoples in the Balkans in the 6th and 7th centuries CE, the area now known as Montenegro was inhabited principally by people known as Illyrians . During the Early Medieval period, three principalities were located on the territory of modern-day Montenegro: Duklja , roughly corresponding to the southern half; Travunia , the west; and Rascia proper, the north. The Principality of Zeta emerged in

9656-406: The body. The amphibian brain is relatively simple but broadly the same structurally as in reptiles, birds and mammals. Their brains are elongated, except in caecilians, and contain the usual motor and sensory areas of tetrapods. The pineal body , known to regulate sleep patterns in humans, is thought to produce the hormones involved in hibernation and aestivation in amphibians. Tadpoles retain

9798-415: The breakup of Yugoslavia by Milo Đukanović (four-time prime minister and also twice president), accused of having established an authoritarianism and clientelist regime, while maintaining close relations with organized crime . The massive privatizations of the Đukanović era lead to the enrichment of him and oligarchs close to him. His brother Aleksandar, owner of Montenegro's first private bank, oversaw

9940-403: The circulatory systems of the two are distinct. In the juvenile (or tadpole) stage, the circulation is similar to that of a fish; the two-chambered heart pumps the blood through the gills where it is oxygenated, and is spread around the body and back to the heart in a single loop. In the adult stage, amphibians (especially frogs) lose their gills and develop lungs. They have a heart that consists of

10082-426: The city of Budva , in that time known as "Budua". The Venetian territory was centred on the Bay of Kotor , and the Republic introduced governors who meddled in Montenegrin politics. Venice controlled territories in present-day Montenegro until its fall in 1797. Large portions fell under the control of the Ottoman Empire from 1496 to 1878. In the 16th century, Montenegro developed a unique form of autonomy within

10224-497: The class Amphibia includes all tetrapod vertebrates that are not amniotes. Amphibia in its widest sense ( sensu lato ) was divided into three subclasses , two of which are extinct: These three subclasses do not include all extinct amphibians. Other extinct amphibian groups include Embolomeri (Late Paleozoic large aquatic predators), Seymouriamorpha (semiaquatic to terrestrial Permian forms related to amniotes), among others. Names such as Tetrapoda and Stegocephalia encompass

10366-567: The classification by herpetologist Darrel Frost and the American Museum of Natural History , available as the online reference database "Amphibian Species of the World". The numbers of species cited above follows Frost and the total number of known (living) amphibian species as of March 31, 2019, is exactly 8,000, of which nearly 90% are frogs. With the phylogenetic classification, the taxon Labyrinthodontia has been discarded as it

10508-560: The closest relatives to the caecilians. However, most studies support a single monophyletic origin of all modern amphibians within the dissorophoid temnospondyls. As they evolved from lunged fish, amphibians had to make certain adaptations for living on land, including the need to develop new means of locomotion. In the water, the sideways thrusts of their tails had propelled them forward, but on land, quite different mechanisms were required. Their vertebral columns, limbs, limb girdles and musculature needed to be strong enough to raise them off

10650-464: The common ancestor of amphibians and amniotes is included in Amphibia, it becomes a paraphyletic group. All modern amphibians are included in the subclass Lissamphibia, which is usually considered a clade , a group of species that have evolved from a common ancestor. The three modern orders are Anura (the frogs), Caudata (or Urodela, the salamanders), and Gymnophiona (or Apoda, the caecilians). It has been suggested that salamanders arose separately from

10792-480: The country, making it the last free monarchy of the Balkans before it fell to the Ottomans in 1496, and got annexed to the sanjak of Shkodër . For a short time, Montenegro existed as a separate autonomous sanjak in 1514–1528 ( Sanjak of Montenegro ). Also, Old Herzegovina region was part of Sanjak of Herzegovina . From 1392, numerous parts of the territory were controlled by Republic of Venice , including

10934-465: The divergence of the three groups took place in the Paleozoic or early Mesozoic (around 250 million years ago), before the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea and soon after their divergence from the lobe-finned fish. The briefness of this period, and the swiftness with which radiation took place, would help account for the relative scarcity of primitive amphibian fossils. There are large gaps in

11076-451: The eggs hatch. A few species give birth to live young, nourishing them with glandular secretions while they are in the oviduct. Caecilians have a mostly Gondwanan distribution, being found in tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Central and South America. The integumentary structure contains some typical characteristics common to terrestrial vertebrates, such as the presence of highly cornified outer layers, renewed periodically through

11218-521: The electoral commission, the 55% threshold was passed by only 2,300 votes. Serbia, the member-states of the European Union, and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council all recognised Montenegro's independence. The 2006 referendum was monitored by five international observer missions, headed by an OSCE / ODIHR team, and around 3,000 observers in total (including domestic observers from CDT (OSCE PA),

11360-414: The entirety of amphibian-grade tetrapods, while Reptiliomorpha or Anthracosauria are variably used to describe extinct amphibians more closely related to amniotes than to lissamphibians. The actual number of species in each group depends on the taxonomic classification followed. The two most common systems are the classification adopted by the website AmphibiaWeb, University of California, Berkeley , and

11502-560: The fighters laid down their arms and returned home. Nevertheless, intense guerrilla fighting lasted until December. Fighters who remained under arms fractured into two groups. Most of them went on to join the Yugoslav Partisans, consisting of communists and those inclined towards active resistance; these included Arso Jovanović , Sava Kovačević , Svetozar Vukmanović-Tempo , Milovan Đilas , Peko Dapčević , Vlado Dapčević , Veljko Vlahović , and Blažo Jovanović . Those loyal to

11644-407: The food to the stomach and mucus produced by glands in the mouth and pharynx eases its passage. The enzyme chitinase produced in the stomach helps digest the chitinous cuticle of arthropod prey. Amphibians possess a pancreas , liver and gall bladder . The liver is usually large with two lobes. Its size is determined by its function as a glycogen and fat storage unit, and may change with

11786-482: The fore foot and five on the hind foot, but no claws on either. Some salamanders have fewer digits and the amphiumas are eel-like in appearance with tiny, stubby legs. The sirens are aquatic salamanders with stumpy forelimbs and no hind limbs. The caecilians are limbless. They burrow in the manner of earthworms with zones of muscle contractions moving along the body. On the surface of the ground or in water they move by undulating their body from side to side. In frogs,

11928-463: The ground for locomotion and feeding. Terrestrial adults discarded their lateral line systems and adapted their sensory systems to receive stimuli via the medium of the air. They needed to develop new methods to regulate their body heat to cope with fluctuations in ambient temperature. They developed behaviours suitable for reproduction in a terrestrial environment. Their skins were exposed to harmful ultraviolet rays that had previously been absorbed by

12070-620: The harsh winters, the park has few reptile and amphibian species. A total of 10 species of reptiles and 8 species of amphibia reside in park including the alpine salamander , common frog , alpine newt and brown trout . Montenegro in Europe  (dark grey)  –  [ Legend ] Montenegro is a country in Southeastern Europe , on the Balkan Peninsula . Its 25 municipalities have

12212-413: The head and body. The bones are fully ossified and the vertebrae interlock with each other by means of overlapping processes. The pectoral girdle is supported by muscle, and the well-developed pelvic girdle is attached to the backbone by a pair of sacral ribs. The ilium slopes forward and the body is held closer to the ground than is the case in mammals. In most amphibians, there are four digits on

12354-413: The hind feet for digging (frogs usually dig backwards into the soil). In most salamanders, the limbs are short and more or less the same length and project at right angles from the body. Locomotion on land is by walking and the tail often swings from side to side or is used as a prop, particularly when climbing. In their normal gait, only one leg is advanced at a time in the manner adopted by their ancestors,

12496-399: The hind legs are larger than the fore legs, especially so in those species that principally move by jumping or swimming. In the walkers and runners the hind limbs are not so large, and the burrowers mostly have short limbs and broad bodies. The feet have adaptations for the way of life, with webbing between the toes for swimming, broad adhesive toe pads for climbing, and keratinised tubercles on

12638-403: The importance of temperature, but the trigger event, especially in arid regions, is often a storm. In anurans, males usually arrive at the breeding sites before females and the vocal chorus they produce may stimulate ovulation in females and the endocrine activity of males that are not yet reproductively active. In caecilians, fertilisation is internal, the male extruding an intromittent organ ,

12780-545: The land was the realm of early plants and devoid of vertebrates, though some, such as Ichthyostega , may have sometimes hauled themselves out of the water. It is thought they may have propelled themselves with their forelimbs, dragging their hindquarters in a similar manner to that used by the elephant seal . In the early Carboniferous (360 to 323 million years ago), the climate was relatively wet and warm. Extensive swamps developed with mosses , ferns , horsetails and calamites . Air-breathing arthropods evolved and invaded

12922-410: The land where they provided food for the carnivorous amphibians that began to adapt to the terrestrial environment. There were no other tetrapods on the land and the amphibians were at the top of the food chain, with some occupying ecological positions currently held by crocodiles. Though equipped with limbs and the ability to breathe air, most still had a long tapering body and strong tail. Others were

13064-564: The largest amphibian that ever existed—the extinct 9 m (30 ft) Prionosuchus , a crocodile-like temnospondyl dating to 270 million years ago from the middle Permian of Brazil. The largest frog is the African Goliath frog ( Conraua goliath ), which can reach 32 cm (13 in) and weigh 3 kg (6.6 lb). Amphibians are ectothermic (cold-blooded) vertebrates that do not maintain their body temperature through internal physiological processes. Their metabolic rate

13206-405: The lateral line system of their ancestral fishes, but this is lost in terrestrial adult amphibians. Many aquatic salamanders and some caecilians possess electroreceptors called ampullary organs (completely absent in anurans), that allow them to locate objects around them when submerged in water. The ears are well developed in frogs. There is no external ear, but the large circular eardrum lies on

13348-438: The leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), won Montenegro's presidential election . The veteran politician had served as Prime Minister six times and as president once before. He had dominated Montenegrin politics since 1991. Amphibia (partial list) Amphibians are ectothermic , anamniotic , four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia . In its broadest sense, it

13490-481: The lobe-finned fish. Some salamanders in the genus Aneides and certain plethodontids climb trees and have long limbs, large toepads and prehensile tails. In aquatic salamanders and in frog tadpoles, the tail has dorsal and ventral fins and is moved from side to side as a means of propulsion. Adult frogs do not have tails and caecilians have only very short ones. Salamanders use their tails in defence and some are prepared to jettison them to save their lives in

13632-418: The many folds in their thin skin, which has capillaries close to the surface. The suborder Salamandroidea contains the advanced salamanders. They differ from the cryptobranchids by having fused prearticular bones in the lower jaw, and by using internal fertilisation. In salamandrids, the male deposits a bundle of sperm, the spermatophore , and the female picks it up and inserts it into her cloaca where

13774-667: The map of the Balkan region. The Ottoman Empire recognised the independence of Montenegro in the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The first Montenegrin constitution (also known as the Danilo Code) was proclaimed in 1855. Under Nicholas I (ruled 1860–1918), the principality was enlarged several times in the Montenegro-Turkish Wars and was recognised as independent in 1878. Nicholas I established diplomatic relations with

13916-443: The more evolutionarily advanced suborder Mesobatrachia are the fossorial Megophryidae , Pelobatidae , Pelodytidae , Scaphiopodidae and Rhinophrynidae and the obligatorily aquatic Pipidae . These have certain characteristics that are intermediate between the two other suborders. Neobatrachia is by far the largest suborder and includes the remaining families of modern frogs, including most common species. Approximately 96% of

14058-439: The most recent molecular study, based on multilocus sequence typing , suggests a Late Carboniferous/ Early Permian origin for extant amphibians. The origins and evolutionary relationships between the three main groups of amphibians is a matter of debate. A 2005 molecular phylogeny, based on rDNA analysis, suggests that salamanders and caecilians are more closely related to each other than they are to frogs. It also appears that

14200-407: The next few decades, it expanded its territory to neighbouring Rascia and Bosnia, and also became recognised as a kingdom. Its power started declining at the beginning of the 12th century. After King Bodin's death (in 1101 or 1108), civil wars ensued. Duklja reached its zenith under Vojislav's son, Mihailo (1046–1081), and his grandson Constantine Bodin (1081–1101). As the nobility fought for

14342-712: The northern part of the country, compared to 3.9 per cent in the coastal region, while a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line (2018). The Law on the Status of the Descendants of the Petrović Njegoš Dynasty was passed by the Parliament of Montenegro on 12 July 2011. It rehabilitated the Royal House of Montenegro and recognised limited symbolic roles within the constitutional framework of

14484-516: The occupation, King Nicholas fled the country and established a government-in-exile in Bordeaux . In 1922, Montenegro formally became the Oblast of Cetinje in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , with the addition of the coastal areas around Budva and Bay of Kotor . In a further restructuring in 1929, it became a part of a larger Zeta Banate of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia that reached

14626-564: The over 5,000 extant species of frog are neobatrachians. The order Caudata (from the Latin cauda meaning "tail") consists of the salamanders—elongated, low-slung animals that mostly resemble lizards in form. This is a symplesiomorphic trait and they are no more closely related to lizards than they are to mammals. Salamanders lack claws, have scale-free skins, either smooth or covered with tubercles , and tails that are usually flattened from side to side and often finned. They range in size from

14768-751: The park from the Valbona Valley National Park . Like most of the Albanian Alps, the park is dominated by limestone and dolomite rocks and shows major karst features such as the Grunas Canyon and the southern wall of Arapi , which is considered the highest rock face in the Balkans . Despite its limited area, the park is distinguished by a highly diverse flora with estimates which vary between 1500 and 1650 species of plants among which 70 species are endangered . Theth

14910-403: The park's land area. Additionally, large mammals such as brown bear , roe deer , chamois as well as rare or endangered species like the gray wolf , lynx , and wild goat inhabit the park. 50 species of birds have been observed, with raptors such as the golden eagle , lesser kestrel , nuthatch , robin , blackbird , red-backed shrike , western capercaillie and rock partridge . Due to

15052-400: The privatizations, while his sister, Ana Kolarevic, has long controlled the judiciary. The clientelist networks of the ruling party dominated all segments of social life. A party card was required to start a business or obtain a position in the administration. This policy also contributed to the reinforcement of regional disparities and social inequalities. Unemployment climbs to 36.6 per cent in

15194-517: The reigning People's Party , who supported the process of democratisation and union with Serbia, and those of the True People's Party , who were monarchist. In 1910, Montenegro became a kingdom , and as a result of the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, a common border with Serbia was established, with Shkodër being awarded to Albania , though the current capital city of Montenegro, Podgorica,

15336-549: The report stated that the competitive pre-referendum environment was marked by an active and generally peaceful campaign and that "there were no reports of restrictions on fundamental civil and political rights." On 3 June 2006, the Montenegrin Parliament declared the independence of Montenegro, formally confirming the result of the referendum. On 28 June 2006, Montenegro joined the United Nations as its 192nd member state. Montenegro has been dominated since

15478-521: The reptiles to reproduce on land and which led to their dominance in the period that followed. After the Carboniferous rainforest collapse amphibian dominance gave way to reptiles, and amphibians were further devastated by the Permian–Triassic extinction event . During the Triassic Period (252 to 201 million years ago), the reptiles continued to out-compete the amphibians, leading to

15620-565: The republic's title. Since 22 October 2007, a year after its independence, the name of the country became simply known as Montenegro . The country is known as Mali i Zi (lit. black mountain) in Albanian , while it is known as Crna Gora in Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian , and Croatian . Modern-day Montenegro was part of Illyria and populated by the Indo-European-speaking Illyrians . The Illyrian kingdom

15762-539: The republic. In 2015, the investigative journalists' network OCCRP named Montenegro's long-time President and Prime Minister Milo Đukanović "Person of the Year in Organized Crime". The extent of Đukanović's corruption led to street demonstrations and calls for his removal. In October 2016, for the day of the parliamentary election , a coup d'état was prepared by a group of persons that included leaders of

15904-562: The sea bottom. Some fish had developed primitive lungs that help them breathe air when the stagnant pools of the Devonian swamps were low in oxygen. They could also use their strong fins to hoist themselves out of the water and onto dry land if circumstances so required. Eventually, their bony fins would evolve into limbs and they would become the ancestors to all tetrapods , including modern amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals . Despite being able to crawl on land, many of these prehistoric tetrapodomorph fish still spent most of their time in

16046-412: The seasons as these reserves are built or used up. Adipose tissue is another important means of storing energy and this occurs in the abdomen (in internal structures called fat bodies), under the skin and, in some salamanders, in the tail. There are two kidneys located dorsally, near the roof of the body cavity. Their job is to filter the blood of metabolic waste and transport the urine via ureters to

16188-574: The skin ( cutaneous respiration ) and this allows adult amphibians to respire without rising to the surface of water and to hibernate at the bottom of ponds. To compensate for their thin and delicate skin, amphibians have evolved mucous glands, principally on their heads, backs and tails. The secretions produced by these help keep the skin moist. In addition, most species of amphibian have granular glands that secrete distasteful or poisonous substances. Some amphibian toxins can be lethal to humans while others have little effect. The main poison-producing glands,

16330-455: The smaller the individual is, so it happens at an early stage when the larvae are still small. (The largest species of salamanders do not go through a metamorphosis.) Amphibians that lay eggs on land often go through the whole metamorphosis inside the egg. An anamniotic terrestrial egg is less than 1 cm in diameter due to diffusion problems, a size which puts a limit on the amount of posthatching growth. The smallest amphibian (and vertebrate) in

16472-399: The species is toxic and is a warning sign to predators. Amphibians have a skeletal system that is structurally homologous to other tetrapods, though with a number of variations. They all have four limbs except for the legless caecilians and a few species of salamander with reduced or no limbs. The bones are hollow and lightweight. The musculoskeletal system is strong to enable it to support

16614-603: The sperm is stored until the eggs are laid. The largest family in this group is Plethodontidae, the lungless salamanders, which includes 60% of all salamander species. The family Salamandridae includes the true salamanders and the name " newt " is given to members of its subfamily Pleurodelinae . The third suborder, Sirenoidea , contains the four species of sirens, which are in a single family, Sirenidae . Members of this order are eel -like aquatic salamanders with much reduced forelimbs and no hind limbs. Some of their features are primitive while others are derived. Fertilisation

16756-451: The surface of the head just behind the eye. This vibrates and sound is transmitted through a single bone, the stapes , to the inner ear. Only high-frequency sounds like mating calls are heard in this way, but low-frequency noises can be detected through another mechanism. There is a patch of specialized haircells, called papilla amphibiorum , in the inner ear capable of detecting deeper sounds. Another feature, unique to frogs and salamanders,

16898-566: The throne, the kingdom was weakened, and by 1186, the territory of modern-day Montenegro became part of the state ruled by Stefan Nemanja and was a part of various state formations ruled by the Nemanjić dynasty for the next two centuries. After the Serbian Empire collapsed in the second half of the 14th century, the most powerful Zetan family, the Balšićs , became sovereigns of Zeta. By

17040-436: The top land predators, sometimes reaching several metres in length, preying on the large insects of the period and the many types of fish in the water. They still needed to return to water to lay their shell-less eggs, and even most modern amphibians have a fully aquatic larval stage with gills like their fish ancestors. It was the development of the amniotic egg, which prevents the developing embryo from drying out, that enabled

17182-404: The union between Montenegro and Serbia was decided by a referendum on Montenegrin independence on 21 May 2006. A total of 419,240 votes were cast, representing 86.5% of the electorate; 230,661 votes (55.5%) were for independence and 185,002 votes (44.5%) were against. This narrowly surpassed the 55% threshold needed to validate the referendum under the rules set by the European Union. According to

17324-547: The uprising took hold, and by 20 July, 32,000 men and women had joined the fight. Except for the coast and major towns (Podgorica, Cetinje, Pljevlja, and Nikšić), which were besieged, Montenegro was mostly liberated. In a month of fighting, the Italian army suffered 5,000 dead, wounded, and captured. The uprising lasted until mid-August, when it was suppressed by a counter-offensive of 67,000 Italian troops brought in from Albania. Faced with new and overwhelming Italian forces, many of

17466-460: The urinary bladder where it is stored before being passed out periodically through the cloacal vent. Larvae and most aquatic adult amphibians excrete the nitrogen as ammonia in large quantities of dilute urine, while terrestrial species, with a greater need to conserve water, excrete the less toxic product urea. Some tree frogs with limited access to water excrete most of their metabolic waste as uric acid. Most aquatic and semi-aquatic amphibians have

17608-634: The vertebrae. Their skulls are mostly broad and short, and are often incompletely ossified. Their skin contains little keratin and lacks scales, apart from a few fish-like scales in certain caecilians. The skin contains many mucous glands and in some species, poison glands (a type of granular gland). The hearts of amphibians have three chambers, two atria and one ventricle . They have a urinary bladder and nitrogenous waste products are excreted primarily as urea . Most amphibians lay their eggs in water and have aquatic larvae that undergo metamorphosis to become terrestrial adults. Amphibians breathe by means of

17750-589: The vulnerable aquatic larval stage. They are not found in the sea with the exception of one or two frogs that live in brackish water in mangrove swamps; the Anderson's salamander meanwhile occurs in brackish or salt water lakes. On land, amphibians are restricted to moist habitats because of the need to keep their skin damp. Modern amphibians have a simplified anatomy compared to their ancestors due to paedomorphosis , caused by two evolutionary trends: miniaturization and an unusually large genome, which result in

17892-472: The war. Chetniks with Italian backing controlled most of the country from mid-1942 to April 1943. Montenegrin Chetniks received the status of "anti-communist militia" and received weapons, ammunition, food rations, and money from Italy. Most of them were moved to Mostar , where they fought in the Battle of Neretva against the Partisans, but were dealt a heavy defeat. During German operation Schwartz against

18034-401: The water for longer periods. Their lungs improved and their skeletons became heavier and stronger, better able to support the weight of their bodies on land. They developed "hands" and "feet" with five or more digits; the skin became more capable of retaining body fluids and resisting desiccation. The fish's hyomandibula bone in the hyoid region behind the gills diminished in size and became

18176-551: The water increases at both low temperatures and high flow rates, aquatic amphibians in these situations can rely primarily on cutaneous respiration, as in the Titicaca water frog and the hellbender salamander . In air, where oxygen is more concentrated, some small species can rely solely on cutaneous gas exchange, most famously the plethodontid salamanders , which have neither lungs nor gills. Many aquatic salamanders and all tadpoles have gills in their larval stage, with some (such as

18318-518: The water. The skin changed to become more protective and prevent excessive water loss. The superclass Tetrapoda is divided into four classes of vertebrate animals with four limbs. Reptiles, birds and mammals are amniotes, the eggs of which are either laid or carried by the female and are surrounded by several membranes, some of which are impervious. Lacking these membranes, amphibians require water bodies for reproduction, although some species have developed various strategies for protecting or bypassing

18460-466: The water. They had started to develop lungs, but still breathed predominantly with gills. Many examples of species showing transitional features have been discovered. Ichthyostega was one of the first primitive amphibians, with nostrils and more efficient lungs. It had four sturdy limbs, a neck, a tail with fins and a skull very similar to that of the lobe-finned fish, Eusthenopteron . Amphibians evolved adaptations that allowed them to stay out of

18602-403: The world is a microhylid frog from New Guinea ( Paedophryne amauensis ) first discovered in 2012. It has an average length of 7.7 mm (0.30 in) and is part of a genus that contains four of the world's ten smallest frog species. The largest living amphibian is the 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) Chinese giant salamander ( Andrias davidianus ) but this is a great deal smaller than

18744-478: The year in each habitat. When on land, they mostly spend the day hidden under stones or logs or in dense vegetation, emerging in the evening and night to forage for worms, insects and other invertebrates. The suborder Cryptobranchoidea contains the primitive salamanders. A number of fossil cryptobranchids have been found, but there are only three living species, the Chinese giant salamander ( Andrias davidianus ),

18886-412: Was "Vladika of Montenegro"). People from Montenegro in this historical period were described as Orthodox Serbs. In 1858, one of the major Montenegrin victories over the Ottomans occurred at the Battle of Grahovac . Grand Duke Mirko Petrović , elder brother of Knjaz Danilo , led an army of 7,500 and defeated the numerically superior Ottomans with 15,000 troops at Grahovac on 1 May 1858. This forced

19028-609: Was conquered by the Roman Republic in the Illyro-Roman Wars and the region was incorporated into the province of Illyricum (later Dalmatia and Praevalitana ). Three principalities were located on the territory: Duklja , roughly corresponding to the southern half, Travunia , the west, and Raška , the north. Duklja gained its independence from the Byzantine Roman Empire in 1042. Over

19170-451: Was convicted for his part in the bombing of Dubrovnik. Bosnian refugees were arrested by Montenegrin police and transported to Serb camps in Foča , where they were subjected to systematic torture and executed. In 1996, Milo Đukanović 's government severed ties between Montenegro and its partner Serbia, which was led by Slobodan Milošević . Montenegro formed its own economic policy and adopted

19312-463: Was established in 1996. In 2017, Theth was declared a Protected Historic Center. Theth village sprawls across the upper Shala Valley and is trapped on four sides by numerous two-thousanders such as Radohima in the west, Arapi and Poplluka in the north and Jezerca in the east. Standing at 1,795 m (5,889 ft), the Valbona Pass leads a mountain path in the west, which separates

19454-543: Was established until the Socialist Republic of Montenegro ratified a new constitution in 1974. After the formal dissolution of the SFRY in 1992, Montenegro remained part of a smaller Federal Republic of Yugoslavia along with Serbia. In the referendum on remaining in Yugoslavia in 1992 , 96% of the votes cast were in favour of the federation with Serbia. The referendum was boycotted by opposition parties such as

19596-533: Was liberated by the Partisans in December 1944. Montenegro became one of the six constituent republics of the communist Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). Its capital became Podgorica, renamed Titograd in honour of President Josip Broz Tito . After the war, the infrastructure of Yugoslavia was rebuilt, industrialization began, and the University of Montenegro was established. Greater autonomy

19738-652: Was not permitted to assume the title unless he proved to be as worthy a leader as his predecessor. An assembly of Montenegrin clans ( Zbor ) was held every year on 12 July in Cetinje, and any adult clansman could take part. In 1515, Montenegro became a theocracy led by the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral , which flourished after the Petrović-Njegoš of Cetinje became the prince-bishop (whose title

19880-579: Was on the old border of Albania and Yugoslavia. Montenegro became one of the Allied Powers during World War I (1914–1918). In the Battle of Mojkovac fought in January 1916 between Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegrins achieved a decisive victory even though they were outnumbered five to one. The Austro-Hungarians accepted military surrender on 25 January 1916. From 1916 to October 1918 Austria-Hungary occupied Montenegro. During

20022-579: Was renamed to the Socialist Republic of Montenegro ( Montenegrin : Социјалистичка Република Црна Гора / Socijalistička Republika Crna Gora ). As the breakup of Yugoslavia occurred, the SRCG was renamed to the Republic of Montenegro ( Montenegrin : Република Црна Гора / Republika Crna Gora ) on 27 April 1992 within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by removing the adjective "socialist" from

20164-818: Was the case with the Black Sea invasion of the natural hybrid Pelophylax esculentus reported in 2010. Several hundred frog species in adaptive radiations (e.g., Eleutherodactylus , the Pacific Platymantis , the Australo-Papuan microhylids , and many other tropical frogs), however, do not need any water for breeding in the wild . They reproduce via direct development, an ecological and evolutionary adaptation that has allowed them to be completely independent from free-standing water. Almost all of these frogs live in wet tropical rainforests and their eggs hatch directly into miniature versions of

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