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Amphibians 6

Page history last edited by Stephan Arthur Joanides 13 years ago

 

Ima Phibian

 

By: Tara, Matthew, Emmett and Griffin

 

Amphibians are vertebrates

 

What are amphibians?

(class Amphibia, from Amphi- meaning "on both sides" and -bios meaning "life"), such as frogs, salamanders, and caecilians, are cold blooded animals that metamorphose from a juvenile water-breathing form, either to an adult air-breathing form, or to a paedoporph that retains some juvenile characteristics.

 

These are examples of amphibians.

 

Examples of amphibians

     ~    Frogs. All sorts!

     ~    Toads. Many types.

     ~    Newts/Salamanders. Many types, including axolotls.

     ~    Caecilians. They look like earthworms or snakes, but they are not!

 

Facts

~ TOADS ARE NOT FROGS. 

 For the longest time, it was thought that the frogs and the toads were two different kinds of animals. All toad-like species were placed in the family of the toads,                     Bufonidae.

~This split was based on the following caracteristics: 

~Toads have a warty skin, frogs have a smooth skin. 

~Toads have shorter hind legs, frogs have longer hind legs.

~Toads cannot jump or swim as far as frogs

~ Sometimes this change of vison is confusing, because species that were formerly assigned tot the toad-family, are know considered to be a frog, but the name 'toad' is still used in             their common name!

~ An example is the famous firebelly toad. This animal is, dispite its name, not a toad, but is considered a toad-like frog.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Are_toads_frogs#ixzz1GjLCwmpI

~ Amphibian came from the Ancient Greek word ἀμφίβιος amphíbios which means both kinds of life, amphi meaning “both” and bio meaning "life".

~ There are three types of amphibians: 1) Frogs, 2) Salamanders and 3) Caecilians

~ The first major groups of amphibians developed in the Devonion Period from fish similar to the modern coelacanth and lungfish which had evolved multi-jointed leg-like           fins that enabled them to crawl on the sea bottom. These amphibians were one to five meters long

~ Traditionally, amphibians have included all tetrapod vertebrates that are not amnoites.

~ They are divided into three subclasses, of which two are only known as extinct subclasses:

- Subclass Labyrinthodontia (diverse Paleozoic and early Mesozoic group.)

Subclass Leposondyli (small Paleozoic group, sometimes included in the Labyrinthodontia, which may actually be more closely related to amniotes than Lissamphibia)

- Subclass Lissamphibia (frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, etc.) 

- Of these only the last subclass includes recent species.

 

Frogs

~ Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura (meaning "tail-less", from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia.

~ Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits (fingers or toes), protruding eyes and the absence of a tail.

~ Frogs are widely known as exceptional jumpers, and many of the anatomical characteristics of frogs, particularly their long, powerful legs, are adaptations to improve          jumping performance. 

- 4,200 known species

- Most have bulging eyes, a pair of external eardrums, no tail, tuff hind legs, webbed feet, and wet smooth skin

- Toads are frogs, but they have tough skin, and live in earthly environments

- Catch insects with their tongues

- Use camouflage and poison glans glans defense 

 

 

The Squirrel Treefrog

http://www.hr-rna.com/RNA/images/Reptiles%20and%20Amphibs/Treefrog_fl%20port.jpg

~ This species is sometimes called the rain frog. It is commonly heard before and after summer showers.

~ An efficient predator, it can frequently be seen catching insects around patio lights.

~ During the day it hides under roof flashing or in garden shrubs.

 

Dying Poison Dart Frog

 


http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/dyeing-poison-dart-frog.jpg

 

~ Poison dart frog (also dart-poison frogpoison frog or formerly poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are      native to Central and South America.

~ Unlike most frogs, these species are active during the day and often have brightly-colored bodies.

~ Although all wild dendrobatids are at least somewhat toxic, levels of toxicity vary considerably from one species to the next and from one population to another.

~ Many species are critically endangered.

 

 

This is a video of the Strawberry poison dart frog.

 

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/amphibians-animals/frogs-and-toads/frog_strawberrypoisondart_tadpole.html 

 

Salamanders

~ The Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians.

~ They are typically characterized by their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails.

~ Newts and salamanders look exactly the same, and are often mistaken as lizards which are reptiles.

 

California Slender Salamander

                                   

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4VXrkZe4WmU/TP4u1v_J9RI/AAAAAAAAK6g/KwZa1YQtA94/s1600/california_slender_salamander%252C+batrachoseps+attenuatus+jason+chnoweth+usfws.jpg

 

Redwood forests are typically where the California Slender Salamander is found. It doesn't really like to be disturbed in its daytime hiding spot. It also be very scared if it is uncovered.

 

This is a video of "Salamander versus Bug."

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/amphibians-animals/ 

 

Mudpuppies

~ Mudpuppies or waterdogs are aquatic slamanders of the family Proteidae.

~ Their name originates from the misconception that they make a dog-like barking sound. 

~ Their range runs from southern central Canada, through the midwestern United States, east to North Carolina and south to Georgia and Mississippi.

 

 

Dwarf Waterdog

http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/128x192/1111_1111/1111/4488.jpeg

 

~ This is the smallest member of the mudpuppy family, a group of large, water-dwelling salamanders.

~ Its fluffy gills help it get oxygen in the slow, muddy water in which it lives.

~ Dwarf Waterdogs lurk on the bottom among plants and leaf beds and feed on insects, crustaceans, and other salamanders.

~ Very few scientists have ever studied this species; so there are many parts of its life history that are still a mystery

 

Caecilians

~ Caecilians completely lack limbs, making the smaller species resemble worms, while the larger species with lengths up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) resemble snakes.

~ The tail is short or absent, and the cloaca is near the end of the body.

~ Their skin is smooth and usually dark-matte, but some species have colorful skins. Inside the skin are calcite scales.

~ Caecilians' vision is limited to dark-light perception, and their anatomy is highly adapted for a burrowing lifestyle.

~ They have a strong skull, with a pointed snout used to force their way through soil or mud.

~ In most species, the number of bones in the skull are reduced and fused together, and the mouth is recessed under the head.

~ Their muscles are adapted to pushing their way through the ground, with the skeleton and deep muscles acting as a piston inside the skin and outer muscles.

-  An amphibian with no limbs that is very wormlike that lives in soil or fresh water

- 150 species known worldwide.

 

 

 

 

*Metamorphosis of an Amphibian:

+Day 1 - Egg

+Day 3/4 - Tailbud

+Day 6 - Tadpole with external gills

+Day 9 - Tadpole with internal gills

+Day 12 - Tadpole with operculum

+Day 70 - Tadpole with hindlimbs 

+Day 84 - Tadpole with forelimbs

+Day 84+ - Tadpole metamorphosis

+Day 84+ - Young frog

 

8 Questions

1- What are three examples of amphibians?

2- Who is the smallest member in the mudpuppy family?

3- How do you characterize a salamander?

4- What are the three subclasses of an amphibian?

5- Are amphibians vertebrates?

6- What's one example of a "toad-like" frog?

7- Where does the word Amphibian come from, and what does it mean?

8- What is one difference between a toad and a frog.

 

Sources

http://www.uksafari.com/amphibians2.htm

http://www.topnews.in/files/Amphibian.jpg

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_examples_of_amphibians#ixzz1G8pIEKkS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibian

http://kids.yahoo.com/animals/amphibians/4294--Squirrel+Treefrog

http://www.rjfisher.lgusd.k12.ca.us/staff/sjoanides/documents/Vertebrates7thGrade.pdf

http://www.anapsid.org/sallies.html

 

 

 

Comments (1)

Reptiles 6b said

at 5:05 pm on Mar 28, 2011

nice

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