AMPHIBIANS

(Frogs, salamanders and caecilians)

 Frogs, salamanders,
and caecilians, the
damp-skinned
vertebrates, are direct
descendants of fishes

They are the sole survivors of

a very successful group, the
amphibians, the first
vertebrates to walk on land
Characteristics of Living Amphibians
1. Legs.
Frogs and salamanders have four legs and can move
about on land quite well. Legs were one of the key
adaptations to life on land. Caecilians have lost their
legs during the course of adapting to a burrowing
existence.
2. Cutaneous respiration.
Frogs, salamanders, and caecilians all supplement the
use of lungs by respiring directly across their skin,
which is thin, kept moist and provides an extensive
surface area
3. Partially divided heart
Characteristics of Living Amphibians

4. Lungs. Most amphibians possess a pair of lungs,

although the internal surfaces are poorly developed,
with much less surface area than reptilian or
mammalian lungs.
5. Skin Glands
• Mucous Glands (cutaneous respiration, antibiotic
properties)
• Glanular Glands (toxic secretions - neurotoxins,
alkaloids)
• Other glands (not in all species)
•Nuptial •Wax
Modern Orders of Amphibia
 Order Anura
(Frogs and toads)
Amphibians without tails, live in a variety of
environments from deserts and mountains to ponds
and puddles
 Order Anura

All adult anurans are carnivores, eating a wide variety of

invertebrates
 Order Anura
Most frogs and toads return to water to reproduce, laying
their eggs directly in water
 Order Anura
Eggs are fertilized externally and hatch into swimming
larval forms called tadpoles. Tadpoles live in the water,
where they generally feed on minute algae
After considerable growth, the body of the tadpole
gradually changes into that of an adult frog through
metamorphosis.
 Order Anura
Frogs Toads
• Have smooth, moist skin, • Have a dry, bumpy
skin
• Long hind legs that make • Short legs
them excellent jumpers.
• Most frogs live in or near • Are well adapted
water, although some to dry
tropical species live in environments
trees
 Order Urodela (Caudata)
(Salamanders)
[Salamanders and newts]
• Some people think these two distinct amphibians are the same
animal.
• Newts are a type of salamander, belonging to a subfamily
Pleurodelinae of the family Salamandridae.
• Essentially, all newts are salamanders, but not all salamanders
are newts
• As adults, newts live a semi-aquatic to aquatic life, while adult
salamanders live a mostly terrestrial life except for when they're
breeding and laying eggs.
• Most newts have webbed feet and a paddle-like tail, which make
it easier to live in the water. Salamanders typically have longer
and more rounded tails with well-developed toes for digging in
soil.
 Order Urodela (Caudata)
• Salamanders have elongated bodies,
long tails, and smooth moist skin

• Most salamanders live in

moist places, such as under
stones or logs, or among the
leaves of tropical plants.
Some salamanders live
entirely in water.
 Order Urodela (Caudata)
• Salamanders lay their eggs in water or in
moist places.
• Fertilization is usually external, although a few
species practice a type of internal fertilization
in which the female picks up sperm packets
deposited by the male
• Youngs hatching from salamander eggs are
born looking like small adults and are
carnivorous.
 Order Apoda (Gymnophiona)
(Caecilians)
• Members of the order
Apoda (Gymnophiona),
are a highly specialized
group of tropical
burrowing amphibians
• Legless (wormlike
creatures)
• They have very small
eyes and are often blind.
• They resemble worms
but have jaws with
teeth.
 Order Apoda (Gymnophiona)

• They eat worms and other

soil invertebrates

• Some species give birth to

live young

• Some species’ female

caecilians allow their young
to scrape off and eat a layer
of their own skin.