Amphibians: Class Amphibia

Life Science - Middle School

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Amphibians - Class Amphibia Animals in the Class Amphibia all share some common traits. 1) They lay their eggs in water. 2) Newly hatched young breathe through gills. 3) As amphibians grow, their body changes, growing legs and developing lungs for life on land. 4) As adults, most amphibans are never far from water where they return in the spring to mate and lay eggs. 5) Amphibians are cold-blooded. In cold climates they spend the winter months in a deep sleep, called torpor, buried in the mud or leaf litter. The Class Amphibia is broken down into three groups called Orders: 1) Salamanders and Newts keep their tails as adults and grow legs made for walking. All four of their legs are about the same size. 2) Frogs and Toads change completely as they grow from tadpoles to adults, losing their tail and growing legs. Their back legs are designed for jumping and are bigger than their front legs. 3) Gymnophiona are worm-like amphibians with no legs. They live in tropical climates and are not found in North America. North American wetlands are home for many amphibian species, including Salamanders and Newts and Frogs and Toads. See if you can identify the amphibians in the northern wetland illustration below. 1. two-lined salamander larva 2. two-lined salamander 3. newt larva 4. frog eggs and hatching tadpoles 5. bullfrog tadpoles 6. bullfrog 6 2 8 7 1 5 4 3 7. pickerel frog 8. spring peeper
94-4024 Amphibians: 1) They lay their _____________ in water. 2) Newly hatched young breathe through _______________. 3) As they grow, their body changes, growing ____________ and developing lungs for life on land. 4) As adults, most amphibans are never far from water, where they return in the spring to mate and lay eggs. 5) Amphibians are ________________-blooded. In cold climates they spend the winter months in a deep sleep, called ___________________, buried in the mud or leaf litter. Orders: 1) Salamanders and Newts keep their tails as adults and grow legs made for walking. All four of their legs are about the same size. 2) Frogs and Toads change completely as they grow from _______________________ to adults, losing their tail and growing legs. Their back legs are designed for ________________________ and are bigger than their front legs. 3) Gymnophiona are _______________________ amphibians with no legs. They live in tropical climates and are not found in North America. See if you can identify the amphibians in the North American wetland illustration below. 1. _____________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________ 4. _____________________________________________ 5. _____________________________________________ 6. _____________________________________________ 7. _____________________________________________ 8. _____________________________________________ 6 2 8 7 1 5 4 3 Amphibians - Class Amphibia