Fishes

Amphibians
 Amphibians
Frog Salamander
• Amphibians are small vertebrates that
need water, or a moist environment, to
survive.
• The species in this group include frogs,
toads, salamanders, and newts. All can
breathe and absorb water through their
very thin skin.
Toads Newts
 Special feature of most Amphibians

• Amphibians also have special skin glands that

produce useful proteins.

This skin glands is for:

1. Transportion of water ,oxygen and carbon
dioxide
2. Fight bacteria or fungal infections
3. Defense
 Poison Dart Frogs

• SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dendrobatidae

• SIZE: 1 in

• Wear some of the most brilliant

beautiful colors on Earth.

• Their elaborate designs and hues are

deliberately ostentatious to ward off
potential predators, a tactic called
aposematic coloration.
 Special feature of most Amphibians

• Egg-larva-adult life cycle

1. Laying of eggs
2. The larvae are aquatic and free-swimming—frogs and
toads at this stage are called tadpoles.
3. At a certain size, the young develop limbs and lungs.
Some also lose their tails.
4. Eventually, they hop or climb out of the water as adults,
and spend the rest of their lives on land. This process is
known as metamorphosis.
 Special feature of most Amphibians

• Egg-larva-adult life cycle

 Special feature of most Amphibians
Respiration
• Some can breathe through
their skin – their skin is
permeable (allowing materials
to flow in the frog to out of frog
• In most larval amphibians,
gas exchange occurs through
the skin and the gills.
• Adult amphibians typically
respire using lungs, but some
gas exchange occurs through
the skin and the lining of the
mouth.
 General Characteristics

• It is an animal in Kingdom Animalia,

Phylum Chordata, Class Amphibia

• Most lay eggs in WATER.

• It is an ECTOTHERM – body temperature

is determined by environment (opposite =
Endotherm)
 Evolution of Amphibians

• The first amphibians appeared in the late

Devonian Period, about 360 million years ago.

• The transition from water to land required that

the terrestrial vertebrates had to:
• breathe air,
• protect themselves and their eggs from drying out, and
• support themselves against the pull of
gravity.
 Evolution of Amphibians

• Early amphibians evolved several

adaptations that helped them live at least
part of their lives out of water.

• Bones in the limbs and limb girdles of

amphibians became stronger, permitting
more efficient movement.
 Evolution of Amphibians
Amphibian Adaptations
Lungs

Pelvic Girdle

Leg Bones:
The legs of a land
vertebrate must be
strong enough to hold
its weight.
Skin: The skin and the lining of
the mouth cavity of many adult
amphibians are thin and richly
supplied with blood vessels.
Watery mucus is secreted by
glands in the skin.
 Groups of Amphibians

The three groups of amphibians alive today

are:
• salamanders
• frogs and toads
• caecilians
 Groups of Amphibians

Salamanders
• Salamanders and newts have long bodies and
tails.
• Most have four legs.
• Both adults and larvae are carnivores.
• Adults usually live in moist woods, where they
tunnel under rocks and rotting logs.
 Groups of Amphibians
Frogs and Toads
• Frogs and toads have the ability to jump.
• Frogs tend to have long legs and make lengthy
jumps.
• Toads have relatively short legs and are limited to
short hops.

Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

 Groups of Amphibians

Caecilians
• Caecilians are legless animals that live in water or
burrow in moist soil or sediment.
• Caecilians feed on small invertebrates such as
termites.

Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

 Amphibians vs. Reptiles

Differences and Similarities of Reptiles and Amphibians

Reptiles Amphibians
Egg Hard or leathery shelled No shell; eggs must be
eggs that protect the laid in water or moist
growing embryo; cannot substrate
be laid in water
Mode of Breathing All species have lungs! Many are lungless, and
breathe through their
skin
Skin Skin covered in hard Soft and permeable;
scales; made of often moist
the same material as
mammalian skin
and bird feathers
Wallace’s Flying Frog
• Scientific Name:
Rhacophorus
• Size: 4 in
• Also known as “parachute
frog”
• They inhabitant the dense
tropical jungles of Malaysia
and Borneo. They live
almost exclusively in the
trees, descending only to
mate and lay eggs.
• They have oversized toe
pads to help them land softly
and stick to tree trunks
Tiger Salamander
• Scientific Name: Ambystoma
Tigrinum
• Size: 7-14 in
• They are usually brown in color
with brilliant yellow stripes or
blotches over the length of their
bodies.
• Their base color, however, can
also be greenish or gray and
their markings can be yellow
dots or brown splotches.
• Some have no markings at all
Reptiles