BIOL-3030 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Phalanx Bone, Long Tail, Surface Tension
Document Summary
Living batrachomorphs: the lissamphibia (modern amphibians: caecilians (gymnophiona) Diversity of frogs explodes in the tropics. ** 6,000 of the 6,800 species of amphibians are frogs. No armor like species in the paleozoic had. Contains both mucus and poison glands: all predators with bicuspid, pedicellate teeth, bimodal (2 phase) life: metamorphosis and paedomorphosis. Paedomorphosis: retention of juvenile characteristics in sexually mature. Clade gymnophiona (caecilians) adults: fossil record to jurassic, lived in the tropics worldwide, limbless, used heads for burrowing. Since caecilians have no limbs, their heads must be effective tools for. Reduced eyes to make room for tentacle, a special chemosensory organ in finding food the head. Loose skin over the vertebrae, allowing them to throw backbone into curves. Reduced or lost left lung, allowing them to become more tubular. Many viviparous (live-bearing, young eat uterine lining); others coil around eggs to protect them. Eat other ground dwelling animals like earthworms or termites.