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1 Table of Contents What are Amphibians? The Defense Mechanisms of Amphibians The Order of Amphibians The Life Cycle of a Frog What is a Food Chain? The Amphibian Food Chain Amphibian Habitats The Amazing World of Tadpoles! The Diet of Frogs and Toads The Characteristics of Frogs and Toads What are Frogs? What are Toads? How are Frogs and Toads Different? What are Salamanders? What are Caecilians?

2 What are Amphibians? An amphibian is an animal that begins its life in the water and then lives the rest of its life on land. The word amphibian means both sides of life. The life cycle an amphibian goes through is called metamorphosis. This means that it changes as it grows from a baby into an adult. Amphibians are characterized by a glandular skin without external scales, gills during development, and by jelly-coated eggs. Most amphibians also have four limbs. Their limbs help them swim in the water, and their lungs allow them to live on land. Because this animal must remain moist, it spends a lot of time hiding in damp places. Some believe it is hibernating, but it is actually estivating, or in a state of dormancy. This happens a lot in desert climates, where it is hot and dry. Estivation protects amphibians from high temperatures and drought. Amphibians have inner skeletons with a backbone. They have webbed feet and no claws. Their limbs are attached at their shoulders and hips. The frog and the toad both have shorter front legs with longer stronger rear legs. It has a brain, a digestive system, and a nervous system. Its body temperature is the same as its surrounding environment, making it a cold-blooded animal. Oxygen is taken in though its skin and is circulated through the bloodstream. How long do amphibians live? Well, it depends on their environment and their type. Those in captivity live about 20 years. Those in the wild live anywhere from 10 to 40 years.

3 Use with What are Amphibians study guide. Answer the questions. What is metamorphosis? What are amphibians? What is estivation?

4 Using the internet, research frogs. Fill out the information sheet. Frog Order: What does it eat? Picture Where does it live? How does it get its food? Where does it get water? Where does it live in the different seasons? What are its enemies?

5 Use with What are Amphibians study guide. Draw an amphibian in the pond. Make sure that it has all of the characteristics that you have read about.

6 Using the internet see how many different amphibians you can find. Compile a list! Sa m ple file List of Amphibians

7 The Defense Mechanisms of Amphibians To help aid in their survival, amphibians have crafted many ways to trick their enemies. Some pretend to play dead by lying still on their backs. Some scream and yelp, startling their prey into dropping them. Still others can live while inside their prey s stomach! How do they manage that? Well, they crawl up and out of the animal that has eaten them, or they wait to be become waste and crawl away. ple file Even though amphibians do not have claws or sharp teeth for protection, they are slippery, quick moving, and shy. These gifts allow them to hide and quickly blend into their surroundings. Many are also equipped with a survival trick called coloration. Coloration is a way amphibians can use the changing of their skin to distract and confuse predators. Used by frogs, toads, and some salamanders, coloration allows them to change their coloring to fit in with their surroundings. Sa m Warning Coloration-Amphibians with bright colors on the upper surface of their skin have warning coloration. Amphibians exhibiting warning coloration are very toxic to a predator that eats them! Protective Coloration -This is an ability to blend in with their surroundings like camouflage. Frogs can change their color over time to match the object they are resting upon. Still other amphibians can spit poison from their tongues or secrete toxins from their skin.

8 Use with The Defense Mechanisms of Amphibians study guide. In each of the shapes, write about what you have learned about the difference defenses of amphibians. Poisonous Sa m ple file Bright Colors Camouflage