Download Amphibians

Amphibians
By Sean Ostling and Jessica
Wilson
What is an Amphibian?
• An amphibian is any cold blooded, smooth
skinned, tetrapod, vertebrae animal. As
babies, they hatch as an aquatic creature.
However, it then develops air-breathing
lungs as it matures and enters adulthood.
They live on land and in water.
• Amphibians are part of the Kingdom
Animalia, Phylum Chordata, and Class
Amphibia.
Examples
Polygenetic Tree
Big-Eyed Tree Frog
Chinese Giant
Salamander
Chinese Fire
Belly Newt
Kingdom
Animalia
Animalia
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Chordata
Chordata
Class
Amphibia
Amphibia
Amphibia
Order
Anura
Caudata
Caudata
Family
Hyperoliidae
Cryptobranchidae
Salamandridae
Genus
Leptopelis
Species
L. vermiculatus
Andrias
A. davidianus
Cynops
C. orientalis 5
Life Cycle of the Chinese Giant
Salamander
• Two adult salamanders
mate (sexual
reproduction).
• Adult female lays eggs
underwater in a plant.
• Eggs hatch into gilled
larva. The offspring
cannot breathe on land
yet until it’s lungs
develop.
• Once the salamander's
lungs have developed,
it can move to the land.
Life Cycle of the Chinese Giant
Salamander
• These salamanders live in dark, muddy, rock
crevices along riverbanks. They are mostly
active at night at eat smaller fish, smaller
salamanders, worms, insects, crayfish and
snails.
• Once the salamander is an adult, it will then
mate.
• The Chinese giant salamander has a life
span of up to 30 years. They grow up to 1.8
meters long and weigh up to 145 pounds.
Big-Eyed Tree Frog (Diet and
Locomotion)
• Big-eyed tree frog’s diets
include small crickets, fruit
flies, mealworms, wax worms,
and any other insects small
enough for them to ingest.
• Big-eyed tree frogs wait for a
passing insect. Once an insect
comes, they stick out their
long, sticky tongue at a high
speed, trapping the insect.
Once the insect is trapped,
they swallow it whole. Most
frogs do not have teeth.
• The Big-Eyed Tree Frog
is commonly known as
the “monkey frog” for its
jumping abilities. It
moves by small and
large hops. They are
tetrapods.
Fire Belly Newt (Diet and
Locomotion)
• Fire belly newts will eat
almost any small insect and
invertebrate that they can
find. Their diet includes
earthworms, bloodworms,
spiders, millipedes, and
centipedes.
Fire Belly Newt (Diet and
Locomotion)
• The fire belly newt has a long tail and a
large fin that allow them to be strong
swimmers. Their black back and bright red
spotted belly acts as a warning towards
other predators.
• On land, they move by walking on their
four legs. They are tetrapods.
Circulation
• Amphibians have a double-circuited
circulation system. The heart is three
chambered, which includes the right atria,
left atria, and one ventricle.
• The blood is pumped to the lungs,
becomes oxygenated, comes back to the
heart, and then is pumped throughout the
amphibian body by travelling through
veins, arteries, and blood vessels.
Circulation Continued
• Amphibians are cold blooded. Therefore,
they do not need as much energy. Unlike
humans, amphibians do not need lots of
energy in order to keep their bodies warm.
Their body temperature is dependent on
the temperature of the environment.
• The one ventricle in the heart is not
efficient, but that is okay for the
amphibians because not as much energy
is required.
Gas Exchanges
• 3 ways to breathe:
• Through their gills
• Air diffusion through their skin
• With their lungs
• They inhale oxygen, and exhale carbon
dioxide.
Gills
• Most amphibians are born with gills and
use their gills as babies. For example,
tadpoles. As they grow, the gills seal and
turn into lungs.
• However, salamanders and newts keep
their gills into adulthood.
Diffusion Through Skin
• Diffusion through the skin helps
amphibians thrive on land and in water.
However, it puts them at risk of suffocating
if their moist environment becomes dry.
Dry skin does not allow oxygen and
carbon dioxide transfer.
• Their permeable skin leaves amphibians
vulnerable to toxins in their environment.
Digestive System
• Amphibians take in food through their mouths by
usually swallowing their prey whole with some
chewing done in the oral cavity. However, this
depending on the species. They can do this
because they have very large stomachs.
• A strong sphincter separates the oral cavity from
the esophagus, which is separated from the
stomach from another sphincter. The relatively
short esophagus is lined with cilia. The cilia
helps transfer food into the stomach.
Digestive System
• Like all mammals, the
liver functions as the
central metabolic organ
that regulates blood
sugar. This is a main
source of energy for the
amphibian.
• The liver of amphibians
also produces the final
metabolic products and
carries them through
the vascular system to
the kidneys, and finally
to the exit of wastes.
Waste Execration
• Amphibians get rid of their waste the same
way most mammals including humans do.
This is by feces and urine.
• Amphibians have a tubular system.
• Amphibians also rid themselves of a lot of
waste by sweating from their sweat
glands. There is lots of waste is in sweat.
Classification Changes
• There have been no classification changes
involving amphibians.
Interesting facts
• There are between 5,000 and 6,000
species of known amphibians.
• The first amphibians appeared
approximately 370 million years ago.
• A group of salamanders known as the
plethodontids have no lungs.
Interesting Facts
• Certain frogs can jump up to 20 times their
own body length in a single leap.
• Some frogs and salamanders have
tongues 10x the length of their body.
• Salamanders can re-grow their toes and
tails.
• The world's largest frog is the Goliath
Frog. It lives in Africa and can grow up to
33cm and can weigh up to 33 kg.
Bibliography
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http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6804273
https://sites.google.com/site/lastminuteamphibian/circulatory-system
http://www.mcwdn.org/Animals/Amphibian.html
http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/amphibians
http://www.iucnredlist.org/amphibians
http://sleep1937.tripod.com/id1.html