Alyssa Retterath and Aditi Patel
1st Period Biology
Classification
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KINGDOM: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura and Urodela
• Anuras are frogs and toads.
• Urodelas are newts and salamanders.
Habitat
They tend to stay in
cupped shaped bases of
plants. They also stay in
trunks and branches of
trees.
They live in dry and wet
environment, tropical
rainforest.
Amphibians Important to Humans
• Amphibians were
used in Folk medicine
in the early ages for
healing.
• They are an important
part of mythology,
culture, art, and
literature.
Important to Environment
• Amphibians are used as
biomonitors. (Indicator
animals)
• Pollution in the water
causes an upset in the
amphibian life cycle.
Threatened amphibians
Environmental Importance
• They are becoming extinct and we don’t
know why.
• Is the pollution effecting their habitat?
• They have existed on the earth for over
300 million years.
• We started out knowing 6,300 known
species, and have lost at least 168 in the
last two decades.
Uniqueness of Amphibians
• There are many pigments of amphibian
skin. All these pigments have different
meanings. All colors are to help with
predators. Some colors help hide the
amphibian, while other colors help warn
the predator.
• A Siberian salamander lived to be 90
years old. That is the oldest age recorded
for any animal it’s size!
Skeletal
• They have a back
bone, webbed
feet- no claws,
attached limbs at
shoulders and
hips.
• Frogs/toads- legs
shorter, weaker,
rear legs is
stronger so its
easier for them to
leap.
Frog Evolution and Skeleton
Unique Facts of Amphibians
Oh my gosh! Time for
me to come out of
aestivation!
• These little creatures inspire many pieces of
artwork.
• They are the evolutionary step between water
and land animals. Amphibian means both
sides of life.
• Amphibians go through aestivation.
Aestivation is “frog hibernation”. They go
underground in hot summer months and
cold winter months to prevent losing their
moisture.
Respiration
•They extract oxygen from the air and water.
They use gills, oral epithelium, and cutaneous
respiration. Cutaneous respiration is breathing
through the skin. Oxygen is absorbed through
counteraction of blood and waterflow.
•Tadpoles breathe through skin with the help of
external (Urodela) and internal (Anura) gills
and/or with the help of lungs.
•All amphibians have lungs except for the
lungless salamander and Onychodactylus.
FROG RESPIRATION
Scroll down on website to watch video
Reproduction of Anura
• They usually
mate during rainy
times or in water.
• At night they get
together in large
groups to find
partners.
• Fertilization takes
place outside
female body.
Reproduction of Urodela
• Fertilization takes •The eggs are usually
place inside the
hatched in moisture.
female body.
• They lay eggs one at
a time
Reproduction
• They have no shells, its
jelly like
• The eggs are usually
left unguarded, but
some frogs do keep
their eggs until they
hatch.
• Tadpoles/ polliwogs =
frogs and toads
• They slowly lose gills
and develop lungs.
• Tad poles get there
hind legs before the
front legs.
• Eyes, digestive system
and other organs
undergo changes to
prepare for life
Amplexus
• Amplexus is when the male frog grasps
the female frog between his front legs,
while she lays her eggs. He then fertilizes
the eggs with sperm fluid.
• Frog Reproduction Video
Amphibian Nervous System
Amphibian Nervous System
• The nervous system is a very
simple structure. The brain is
divided into five sections: the
spinal cord, hind brain, mid brain,
cerebellum, and forebrain. The
forebrain has two parts:
diencephalon and telencephalon.
• The Medulla has automatic
functions as a normal mammal
brain. The cerebellum controls
posture and muscles. The
cerebellum is also very small in
amphibians, but large in mammals.
Comparison of Nervous
Systems
Amphibians
Humans
10 cranial
nerves
12 cranial
nerves
10 spinal
nerves
30 spinal
nerves
Sensory Structures
• Nostrils are one sensory structure. There
are two simple holes. The smell is
registered by olfactory lobes. Olfactory
lobes make up the front part of the brain.
• Eyes are another sensory structure. They
have three eyelids. Amphibians have a
fixed lenses and can not change focus.
• Amphibians have no external ear.
Circulatory System
• A three-chambered
heart pumps blood
through the
circulatory system
which carries oxygen,
nutrients, and carries
away waste products.
• Amphibians are coldblooded.
Excretory System
• Excretion of liquid wastes produced in the liver
come from the kidneys which goes to the
ureters. Following this path it goes onto the
bladder and out of the body.
• Excretion of solid wastes comes through the
large intestine, then onto the cloaca. (an
opening to allow such things to move through)
• Both wastes leave through the cloaca and the
cloacavent.
An Inside look at Amphibians…
Digestive system
• They have two large
• Digestive system
glands- liver and
consist of intestine,
stomach and mouth. pancreas pour
digestive juices into
• The food is mixed
small intestine.
and partially broken
down into stomach. • Cloaca- Chamber that
opens to outside of the
• The digesting takes
body.
place in the small
• The eggs, sperm,
intestine, than it
waste products pass
gets absorbed.
through the cloaca.
Amphibians are biomonitors?
• If environment is polluted,
amphibians life cycle will be messed
up because they breathe with their
skin.(cutaneous respiration)
Amphibians, “can be used as
environmental sentinels or
biomonitors and act as an early
warning system for the quality of the
environment and the potential
threats to other animals including
ourselves.”
Amphibians
Watch Year of the Frog Campaign video on
hyperlink
Works Cited
"Amphibians." The World Book Encyclopedia. 440-41.
Amphibiaweb. 22 Jan. 2009. http://amphibiaweb.org/declines/declines.html>
"Amphibian Adaptations." Toronto Zoo - Home. 05 Apr. 2009
<http://www.torontozoo.com/adoptapond/curriculum/d3_popup1.html>.
"Anatomy of Animals." Anatomy of Animals. 05 Apr. 2009 <http://universe-review.ca/R10-33
anatomy.html>.
Articles About the Life Cycle of a Frog. 04 Apr. 2009 <http://www.frog-lifecycle.com/graphics/frog_life_cycle.jpg>.
“Encyclopedia Britannica” 05 Apr. 2009 <http://media-2.web.britannica.com/ebmedia/40/73340-004-AA95C7EF.jpg>.
Communication 4 all. <http://www.communication4all.co.uk/http/Life%20Cycles.htm>.
Digital Frog International. 02 Apr. 2009
<http://www.digitalfrog.com/resources/archives/circ.jpg>.
Feral Thoughts. 08 Apr. 2009
<http://feral.typepad.com/photos/feral_animals/amplexus_at_water.jpg>.
"Florida Conservation and Research: Ashton Biodiversity Institute."
Gopher Tortoise. 31 Mar. 2009
<http://www.ashtonbiodiversity.org/images/amphibians.jpghttp://www.ashtonbiodiversit
y.org/images/amphibians.jpg>.
“Frog Section.” 07 Apr. 2009
<http://dj003.k12.sd.us/images/frog%20dissection/frog%20d2.gif>.
"Frog_gallery." Amphibian Ark. 02 Apr. 2009
<http://www.amphibianark.org/frog_gallery.html>.