Animal classification

Amphibians

The word amphibian is a Greek word. It is the combination of the word “amphi”, which means dual, or both kinds and the word “bio”, which means life. The translation would be “of both kinds of life”. This definition refers to the fact that most amphibians live their lives in two different stages in two different environments…water and land, first as tadpoles and then as terrestrial adult frogs. Most amphibians breathe through lungs and their skin. Their skin has to stay wet in order for them to absorb oxygen so they secrete mucous to keep their skin moist if they get too dry, they cannot breathe and will die. Oxygen absorbed through their skin will enter blood vessels right at the skin surface that will circulate the oxygen to the rest of the body. Sometimes more than a quarter of the oxygen they use is absorbed directly through their skin. Tadpoles and some aquatic amphibians have gills like fish that use to breathe. There are a few amphibians that do not have lungs and only breathe through their skin. Amphibians will pretty much eat anything live that they can fit in their mouth. This includes bugs, slugs, snails, other frogs, spiders, warms, mice or even birds and bats. Aquatic amphibians will eat bugs, other amphibians including tadpoles, fish and small aquatic organisms. There is only one frog species known that is actually a vegetarian. The Brazilian Tree frog eats fruits and berries. A lot of amphibians have teeth. And all amphibians can smell.

lay eggs, usually in a jelly-like mass in water.

have four legs without claws or nails on toes.

are cold-blooded.

lay eggs without shells in water.breathe with gills.are covered with scales or smooth, leathery skin.have fins but no legs or toes.are cold-blooded.

lay eggs with leathery shells or give birth to fully-formed young.

breathe with lungs.

are covered with scales.

Arthropodan invertebrate animal of the large phylum Arthropoda, such as an insect, spider, or crustacean.

lay eggs with a hard shell.are covered with feathershave a beak.have two legs.

give birth to their young and feed them with milk.have hair on at least part of their body.have four limbs with digits ending in claws, nails, or hooves

an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusc, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 per cent of animal species and about thirty different phyla