NOTE

B I O L O G Y

ANIMAL KINGDOM
CLASS AMPHIBIA, CLASS REPTILIA

Key Takeaways

Characteristic features of:

• Superclass Tetrapoda • Class Amphibia • Class Reptilia

Prerequisites

Current basis of classification of animals

Levels of Germ layer

Symmetry Coelom Segmentation Notochord
organisation organisation

Cellular Radial Diploblastic Acoelomate Segmented Chordate

Tissue Bilateral Triploblastic Pseudocoelo- Unsegmented Non-
Asymmetric mate chordate
Organ
Coelomate
Organ system

Vertebrata

Division

Agnatha (lack jaws) Gnathostomata (bear jaws)

Super class

Pisces (bear fins) Tetrapods (bear limbs)

Class Class
1. Chondrichthyes 1. Amphibia
2. Osteichthyes 2. Reptilia
3. Aves
4. Mammalia

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Super class Tetrapoda

Characteristics of Tetrapods

• Tetra - four + podus - foot

Tetrapoda

Amphibia Reptilia

Aves Mammalia

Four limbs seen in frogs

 ost of the tetrapods have paired appendages, such as limbs, for locomotion. Exceptions
•M
include limbless amphibians and limbless reptiles like snakes.

Fossil evidence suggests that ancestors of snakes had limbs

• They appeared during the
Devonian Period.

Crassigyrinus (Early tetrapods)

•H
 eart is either three or four-chambered.
•E  xchange of gases takes place predominantly by lungs. Some may breathe through the skin,
buccopharyngeal cavity, or gills (in the larval stage).
•D  evelopment may be direct (without an intermediate larval stage) or indirect (including an
intermediate larval stage).
• Presence of the Harderian gland in some tetrapods for lubrication of the eyes.
•H  erpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles.

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Class Amphibia

General characteristics

• Amphibians can survive both on land

and in water (Amphi : dual + bios : life).
• Amphibians are cold-blooded
(poikilotherms or ectothermic) animals.
They do not have the ability to regulate
their body temperature.
•C  arboniferous period is known as the
Age of Amphibians.

Frog

Did you know?

Rule of amphibians
For about a 100 million years, amphibians were
the dominant terrestrial animals on Earth. A classic
amphibian - the big-headed Eryops, measured
about six feet (about two meters) from head to tail
and weighed about 200 pounds (90 kilograms).

Big-headed Eryops

• They are the most threatened class of animals, as they are easily susceptible to environmental
threats due to their porous eggs and semi-permeable skin. They also suffer due to destruction
of their habitat.
• They feed on smaller invertebrates.
• They have 10 pairs of cranial nerves.

Habitat

Aquatic Terrestrial

E.g., larvae of salamander, E.g., adult salamander,

tadpoles of frog adult frog

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• Body
→ The body is divided into the head and the trunk.

Head
Eye
Skin
Mouth

Ears

Legs Webbed feet / toes

Body parts of the frog

→ They lack exoskeleton. The skin has

glands to keep it moist.
→T  hey lack scales (except caecilians that
have scales under their skin).
→T  hey have colour vision and depth of
focus for clear sight.
→T  heir eyes have eyelids and a nictitating
membrane that protects and moistens the
eye.
Nictitating membrane
→ A tympanum represents the ear. External ear (pinna) and middle ear are absent.
→ Some amphibians have a tail. E.g., salamander.

Hind limbs have

five digits
Dark brown skin on upper parts
(sometimes green and with spots)
Long flat tail

Long slim Moist skin

body about 15 cm long

Lighter-colored underparts

Fore limbs with Black eyes (usually with paler lids)

four digits
External features of newt (a type of salamander)

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• Defense mechanisms
→ Some amphibians have poison glands
and some use camouflage to protect
themselves.

Camouflage seen in amphibians

Did you know?

Weapons used by the tribal people Golden poison frog

Indigenous tribal people of South America hunted using bamboo blowpipes. The darts used for
this pipe had sharp tips that were rolled over the skin of poisonous frogs. The toxin contained in
the skin of the frogs could paralyse other animals, thus making the darts very effective hunting
weapons.

Circulatory system

• Amphibians have a closed circulatory system.

• They have a three-chambered heart with two auricles and one ventricle.

Lungs
Oxygen-poor blood
goes to the lungs Oxygen-rich blood
goes to the heart

Right atrium Left atrium

Heart
Ventricle

Oxygen-poor blood Oxygen-rich blood

goes to the heart Body goes to the rest of
from the body the body

Three-chambered heart in frog

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Respiratory system

Different modes of respiration are seen in amphibians:

• They have gills during the larval stages.
•P ulmonary respiration - Some amphibians have primitive lungs which help in gaseous
exchange.
•C utaneous respiration - Gaseous exchange can also happen through the moist skin.
•B uccopharyngeal respiration - Gaseous exchange happens through the mouth cavity and the
pharynx.

Mouth cavity
Lungs
Nostril
Moist skin

Respiratory organs in frogs

• Some of them have external gills in addition •B

 arbourula kalimantanensis - It is the only
to lungs. E.g., Proteus, Necturus, salamander. lungless frog species that absorbs oxygen
through their moist skin.

External gills of salamander Barbourula kalimantanensis

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Cloaca

 he alimentary canal, the reproductive tract, and the urinary tract open into a common
•T
chamber known as the cloaca.

Heart Esophagus

Liver
Lung

Gall bladder
Fat bodies Stomach

Kidney

Ureter Small intestine

Large intestine
Urinary bladder
Cloaca Cloacal aperture
Alimentary canal and urinary tract in amphibians

Cloaca

Cloaca in Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted salamander)

Excretory system

• Frogs and toads are ureotelic (waste excreted in the form of urea).
• Larvae are ammonotelic (excreted waste contains ammonia).
• Amphibians have a mesonephric kidney.
→M esonephric kidney is derived from the middle part of the nephrotome (portion of the
mesoderm that forms the kidney). The nephrons are not well-differentiated.
• They have a urinary bladder.

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Reproduction

• Amphibians reproduce sexually.

• They exhibit sexual dimorphism, that is, sexes are separate.

Male and female frog

Male frogs are very vocal and loud

In most frog species, only the males croak. The male has
vocal sacs that fill with air and act as a resonator to amplify
their mating calls. They croak to attract female frogs for
breeding and to warn away other male frogs from their
territory.

• Fertilisation is external, except in Salamandra and Ichthyophis, where fertilisation is internal.

• They are mostly oviparous, except Salamandra salamandra which is viviparous.
• Development is external and indirect, with an intermediate (larval) stage.

Eggs Tadpoles Young frog Adult frog

Indirect development in frogs

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• Sperm from the male fertilises the eggs laid in water by the female.

Adult frog

Frog eggs

Young frog

Embryo
Larvae (Tadpoles)

Appearance of hind limbs

Life cycle of frogs

Classification of amphibians

• Limbless amphibians:
→T hese are known as blindworms or
caecilians.
→T hey lack limbs.
→E .g. Uraeotyphlus, Ichthyophis

Ichthyophis

• Amphibians with tails:

N
 ecturus (Mud puppy), Siren (Mud eel),
Triturus (Newt), Salamandra.

Salamandra

• Amphibians without tails:

Rana (Indian bullfrog), Hyla (tree frog),
Bufo (Indian toad), Rhacophorus (Flying frog),
Alytes (Midwife toad).

Bufo

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Did you know?

The world’s largest amphibian species is the aptly

named Chinese giant salamander. It is 1.8 meters
long and weighs about 50 kg.

Differences between frogs and toads

Frogs Toads

Bulging eyes Big eyes with

Smooth, wet skin
a large ridge Thick, dry skin

Slim body shape Stout body

Long legs with shape Short legs
webbed feet
• Lives in water • Lives on land
• Jumps from place to place • Usually walks or takes short hops

Differences between salamanders and garden lizards

Salamander (Salamandra) Garden lizard (Calotes)

Lay jelly-like
Aquatic larvae
eggs

• It is an amphibian. • It is a reptile.
• It has moist skin. • It has dry scaly skin.

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Class Reptilia

General characteristics

• Repere or reptum - to creep (Latin)

• Reptiles are cold-blooded (poikilotherms or ectothermic) animals. They do not have the ability to
regulate their body temperature.
• The Mesozoic Era is known as the Age of Reptiles.
• They are carnivores or insectivores, except for tortoises.
• They have 12 pairs of cranial nerves.
• Habitat
→ Aquatic: Chelone (Sea turtle)

Sea turtle
→ Terrestrial: Chameleon (Tree lizard),
Hemidactylus (Wall lizard)

Wall lizard

→ Some of them can survive on land as well

as in water. For example, Crocodylus
(Crocodile).

Crocodile
• Body
→ The body is divided into the head and the trunk.
→ Their skin is dry and rough without glands.
→ They have epidermal scales and scutes. Skin may also be cornified. Snakes cast (or shed)
their scales periodically.

Scales Scutes Cornified skin

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→ Their ears consist of tympanum, tympanic cavity, and eustachian tube.

→ Hearing is perceived as vibrations. External ear is absent.
→ They have two pairs of pentadactyl (having 5 digits) limbs, except snakes.
Circulatory system
• Reptiles have a closed circulatory system.
• They have a three-chambered heart with two auricles and one partially divided ventricle.

Lung
Deoxygenated blood Oxygenated blood
pumped to the lungs from the lungs

Right atrium Left atrium

Heart

Partially divided Oxygenated blood pumped

ventricle to the rest of the body
Body
Deoxygenated blood
from the body

Closed circulatory system

• Crocodiles possess a four-chambered heart with two auricles and two ventricles.

Respiratory organs
• Exchange of gases takes place through the lungs.

Excretory system

• Turtles and alligators are ureotelic.

• Crocodiles are ammonotelic.
• Lizards and snakes are uricotelic (waste contains uric acid).
• Reptiles have a metanephric kidney.
→ Metanephric kidney is derived from the posterior part of the nephrotome (portion of the
mesoderm that forms the kidney). The nephrons are well-differentiated.
• Urinary bladder may be present.

Reproduction
• Reptiles exhibit sexual dimorphism, that is the sexes are distinct and separate.

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• Fertilisation is internal.
• They are mostly oviparous or ovoviviparous
(they lay eggs).

• Development is direct without any

intermediate (larval) stage.
• Some reptiles like sea turtles lay their eggs
and take no further part in parental care.
• Some reptiles like crocodiles build nests and
provide care for their young ones.

Crocodile with its young

Differences between crocodiles and alligators

Crocodile Alligator

• Prefer saline water • Prefer freshwater

• Have lighter brown or tan-coloured skin • Have darker grayish black skin

Ancient reptiles

• Dinosaurs are considered as the ancient reptiles (In Greek : Deinos - terrible + saurus - lizard).

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Dinosaurs

Reptile-like Bird-like

Saurischia Ornithischia

• Fast • Herbivorous
• Carnivorous • Mostly four-legged
• Two-legged • E.g., Ankylosaurus
• E.g., Tyrannosaurus

Some common reptiles

• Sphenodon (the living fossil) is a borrowing nocturnal carnivore.

•G  lass snake is a limbless lizard that breaks off its tail when threatened. Barkudia is a common
glass snake found in South India.
• Varanus (Komodo dragon) is the largest living lizard.
• Phrynosoma, the horned toad, is a spiny desert lizard.
• Uromastyx is the spiny tail lizard. The oil extracted from its fat is used to treat muscular pain.
• Ophiophagus hannah (King cobra) is the only snake that makes a nest and exhibits
cannibalism.
• Vipera is a viviparous genus of snakes.
• Bungarus (Krait) found in sandy soil, piles of bricks, and burrows of rodents has extremely toxic
venom. It exhibits cannibalism.
• Testudo (Tortoises) and Chelone (Turtle) are reptiles that are protected dorsally by a hard
covering known as carapace and ventrally by plastron.

Carapace

Plastron

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Differences between turtle and tortoise

Turtle (Chelone) Tortoise (Testudo)

Limbs are modified

to paddles, which Limbs are not
helps them swim modified into paddles
and hence, they
cannot swim
Heart-shaped Ovoid carapace
carapace

• Omnivorous • Herbivorous
• Lifespan : 20-40 years • Lifespan : 80-150 years

Summary Sheet

Characteristics Class Amphibia Class Reptilia

• Aquatic • Aquatic
Habitat
• Terrestrial • Terrestrial

• Skin is dry and may have scales,

Skin • Skin Is smooth and moist.
scutes, or may be cornified.

• Closed circulatory system • Closed circulatory system

Circulatory system
• Three-chambered heart • Three-chambered heart
Exchange of gases takes place
through gills, primitive lungs, Exchange of gases takes place
Respiratory system
buccopharyngeal cavity, or through lungs.
moist skin.
• Frogs and toads are • Turtles and alligators are ureotelic.
Excretory system ureotelic. • Crocodiles are ammonotelic.
• Larvae are ammonotelic. • Lizards and snakes are uricotelic.

• They exhibit sexual

dimorphism. • They exhibit sexual dimorphism.
Reproductive and • Fertilisation is external. • Fertilisation is internal.
developmental
characteristics • They are oviparous. • They are oviparous or ovoviviparous.
• Development is external and • Development is direct.
indirect.

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