Domain: EukaryaKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: Amphibians

Characteristics

• Most have:– 4 legs– Moist skin– No scales– Aquatic larvae– Double loop circulatory

system– Exchange gases through

skin and lungs

Good Eats

• Larvae– Frog – herbivores– Salamander - carnivores

• Adults– Both frogs and salamanders are predators– Salamanders use their jaws to catch prey– Frogs catch prey with their tongues

Excretion

• Kidneys filter waste from the blood

• Wastes are stored in the cloaca

• Land living – urea• Water living -

ammonia

Breath of Fresh Air

• Larvae– Exchange gases

through skin and gills

• Adults– Breathe through

their lungs, mouths, and thin, moist skin

Getting their blood flowing

• Double-loop circulatory system

• Keeps the oxygen rich and oxygen poor blood separate

The heat is on

• Ectotherms – get their body heat from the environment

• When they get hot they burrow in the mud to cool off

• When they get cold they hibernate

Making new frogs

• Female frogs lay eggs to be fertilized by males in the water

• Eggs are covered in a jelly-like substance that helps them stick to plants in the water

Growing up green

• During metamorphosis, the tadpole changes from gill-breathing to lung-breathing.

• The legless herbivore becomes a four-legged carnivore.

• The 2 chambered heart changes into a 3 chambered heart

Frogs vs. Toads

• Frogs have moist, smooth skin, while toads have bumpy, dry skin

• Frogs have more powerful legs

• Toads have glands that release poison to discourage predators

Salamanders vs. Newts

• Long, slim bodies with necks and tails

• Salamanders: 4 legs, moist skin, lay eggs in water, must live near water, feed on worms, frog eggs and insects

• Newts: aquatic throughout their lives

Caecilians?

• Wormlike• No legs• Burrow in soil• Eat worms• Live in tropical forests

(si SILH yenz)