Class Amphibia Frogs, Toads, Newts, Salamanders and Caecilians By: Annie Ladehoff

Key Characteristics  Can live on land and water  Exothermic (cold-blooded)  Have smooth, moist skin  Have a backbone  Have 4 limbs – distinct front and back legs

Anatomy  Mouth  Esophagus  Stomach  Gall Bladder  Pancreas  Liver  Small Intestine  Large Intestine  Cloaca  Anus  Lungs  Kidneys  Ureters and Urinary Bladder

Digestion  One-Way Digestion  Mouth  Stomach  Intestines  Grabs insects with long, whip like tongue  Adapted to digest prey whole

Respiration  Takes in oxygen through the skin  Oxygen goes through bloodstream directly  When on land, amphibians use lungs  Gills are used underwater  Lungs are poorly developed

Internal Transport  Three chambered heart  Two atria, one ventricle  Double Circulatory System  Much of the blood in the body collects in the Vena Cava  As tadpoles, Amphibians have a two chambered heart and single-circulatory system  TE TE

Excretion  Bladder  Anus  Kidneys filter waste out of blood  Have a cloaca that collects discharge from large intestine, urinary bladder and gonads  Urine may be stored for a short time

Response  Well developed brain  Nervous System  Have a third eyelid for on-land protection  Well developed muscular system  Use a variety of colors to blend in to their surroundings

Movement  Have webbed feet for swimming  Strong and bony endoskeleton  Rear legs are much stronger than front legs for leaping  Well-developed muscular system  Suction cups on feet for climbing  Some Amphibians have a tail

Reproduction  Reproduce sexually  Fertilization occurs outside mothers body  Mother lays eggs coated in jellylike layer  Father immediately fertilizes them  Offspring go through metamorphosis

Examples Cane ToadPoison Dart Frog Eastern Newt

Examples Fire Salamander Caecilian

Facts  There are about 340 species of Salamanders worldwide.  More than 75 percent of frogs and toads live in a tropical rainforest environment.  Amphibians were the first vertebrates to live on land.  One Poison Dart Frog’s venom could kill about 90 people.  The Goliath Frog is the biggest frog in the world, it is 1 ft. long and weighs seven pounds.

Sources   cs-of-class-amphibian.html cs-of-class-amphibian.html  amphibians amphibians  behavior/resource/8700.html behavior/resource/8700.html   bio.www1.50megs.com/Biology_Notes/Amphibians.htm bio.www1.50megs.com/Biology_Notes/Amphibians.htm  /bio%20102/bio%20102%20lectures/circulatory%20system/circul at.htm /bio%20102/bio%20102%20lectures/circulatory%20system/circul at.htm

Sources     ibians.asp ibians.asp  s.htm s.htm    functions functions  Picture Sources Are Listed HEREHERE