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http://www.biologyjunction.com/amphibian_notes_bi.htm
Amphibian Evolution:
Arose from lobe-fined ancestor called Crossopterygians
Land plants & insects provided new food source
Had primitive lungs & short, limb like fins for short periods on land
Appeared during late Devonian
Icthyostega early amphibian with 4 limbs, lungs, & a tail for swimming
Adaptations:
Four limbs with claws on digits (toes)
Lungs instead of gills
Both internal & external nares (nostrils)
Three chambered heart (two atria & one ventricle)
Double loop blood circulation to lungs & rest of body cells
Tadpole
Eggs
Classification:
Anura - frogs & toads
Urodela - salamanders & newts
Apoda - caecilians
Trachystoma - sirens or mud eels
Anuran Characteristics:
Both terrestrial & freshwater species
Tadpole with tail, gills, & two-chambered heart
Adults without a tail, four limbs, & lungs
Frog skin smooth & moist for cutaneous respiration, while toads
is rough & warty (poison glands)
Frog Toad
Urodela Characteristics:
Includes salamanders & newts
Have elongated bodies with a tail & four limbs
Smooth, moist skin for cutaneous respiration
Less able to stay on dry land than anurans
Spotted Salamander
Apodan Characteristics:
Includes caecilians
Tropical, burrowing, worm like amphibians
Legless
Small eyes & often blind
Eat worms & other invertebrates
Average length 30 centimeters, but can grow up to 1.3 meters
internal fertilization
Female bear live young
Caecilian
Trachystoma Characteristics:
Includes mud eels or sirens
Known as "rough mouth" amphibians
Found in eastern U.S. & southern Europe
Have minute forelimbs & no hindlimbs
Digestive System
Circulatory System
Respiratory System
Excretory System
Nervous System