AMPHIBIANS “Living a Double Life”
Salamanders Caecilians Frogs
Amphibians are cold-blooded animals that live in moist environments and have soft moist skin that is protected by a slippery secretion of mucus.
Defense! Some amphibians have poison 'glands' on their skin (which taste bad or poison predators). Some also have bright colors to make predators wary.
There any many different kinds of frogs There any many different kinds of frogs!!! All with different cool colors and traits… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE5CZCL4bL4
Frogs spend most of their life on land, but lay their eggs in water. Frog eggs are larvae in gilatinous-like clear eggs that need moisture so as not to dry out.
Frogs are distinct from other animals in the respect that they live “two lives”...they go through... METAMORPHASIS… where tadpoles develop a tail, live in water and eat algae, then grow fully into frogs, develop actual legs and move onto land
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTanXdFVEOw&feature=related
Caecilian ancestors had legs, but present day caecilians have no legs and are almost blind Most live in burrows in tropical climates and some burrow into soil on bottom of water http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ4sGjMinjk
General Interesting Pointers Amphibians’ hearts have three chambers Acid rain and decline in rainforests threaten amphibians because they need to live in moist, wet environments Amphibians breathe not not only through lungs, but across their skin as well Most amphibians excrete "urea“ which is highly soluble in water and can be disposed with considerably little water loss
SOURCES Pictures: http://roomcandy.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/frog-eggs.jpg http://www.thenighttour.com/drake_bay_costa_rica_red_ey.jpg http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/2040P3180022.jpg http://homeschooljourney.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/tadpole-to-frog.gif http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/dep/herps/photos/salamanders/Eastern_Mud_Salamander_Pseudotriton_mlr.jpg http://www.fansonline.net/images/darts/1dart.jpg http://www.washingtonnh.org/WCC_Html//artwork/Spotted-salamander.jpg http://synthreferee.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/poison-dart-frog2.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/76/229268858_fe9385b38b.jpg http://www.hsu.edu/uploadedImages/Biology/oophila%20and%20eggs%20detail.jpg http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/frog-1.jpg http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/caecilian2.jpg Clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE5CZCL4bL4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTanXdFVEOw&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ4sGjMinjk