Amphibians

Class Amphibia
 General Anatomy
The word Amphibian In latin means literally means “Double Life”

● Meaning they can live in both water and on land

Live on land & water

● Webbed feet

Breathe with lungs & gills

● Cold- blooded

Moist skin (They have no hair or fur)

Lay many eggs

 Body Plan
● Bilateral
● Coelomates
● Deuterostomes
● Triploblastic
○ Ectoderm
○ Mesoderm
○ Endoderm
Is this an amphibian?
 Phylogeny

Number of Species : 4,000+ living species

3 Orders : Anura(Frogs,Toads), Caudata(Salamanders,Newts),

Gymnophiona(caecilians)

Status of Extinction : About 42% of the species are Endangered

 Ecology

● Habitat - They live mainly in freshwater or damp places, most are

tropical

● Relationships- predation, (use frogs for bait and chinese medicine)

● Mutualism (algae live in developing embryos benefits salamander with

earlier hatching, decreased morality, and reaching larger sizes when

hatching)
How about this?
 Feeding and Digestion
● Young amphibians are herbivores and are typically filter feeders
● As an adult, most amphibians are only carnivores
● Mouth to esophagus to stomach to small intestine to colon to cloaca
● Most have a long, sticky tongue for capturing prey
● Liver, pancreas, and gallbladder aid in digestion
 Excretion
● Cloaca releases wastes, urine, eggs, or sperm
● Kidneys filter wastes from the blood
● Urine travels through ureters and goes out from the cloaca
 Respiration
Larval Stage

● Gas exchange through skin

● Gills

Adult Stage

● Lungs are developed

● Vocal Cords

Exceptions

● Some species exchange gas through the thin lining of the mouth cavity
This one?
 Circulation
● Closed Circulation System

Double Loop

1. Carries oxygen-poor blood to the lungs and skin and

takes oxygen-rich blood back to the heart
2. Transports oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the
body and carries oxygen-poor blood from the body
back to the heart
 Response
● Well developed Nervous System ( Cerebrum + Nerves)
● Well developed Sensory System
● Large Eyes that are movable in their sockets (keen vision)
● Transparent Nictitating Membrane
● Ear Drums
● Lateral Line System(Detect water movement)

Yes
And how about this one?
 Movement
● Larvae- often move like fishes (wiggling their bodies and using flattened
tail)

● Adult amphibians- like four-limbed vertebrates use front and back legs to
move. Others such as frogs and toads use their well developed hind legs to
push long surfaces
 Reproduction
● Sexual Reproduction
● Generally Dioecious, some Monecious
● External Fertilization
○ In the case of frogs, males climbs atop and clasps female with front legs while she lays
eggs. He then releases his sperm onto the eggs fertilizing them. This is called Amplexus.
● Often times abandon eggs after fertilization
○ In some cases, the male will hide the eggs on/in their bodies (back, between their legs, in
their mouth/stomach) until they are hatch