Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The origin of the order name Anura—and its original spelling Anoures—is the Ancient Greek alpha privative prefix ἀν-(an-from ἀ-before a vowel) 'without', [6] and οὐρά (ourá) 'animal tail'. [7] meaning "tailless". It refers to the tailless character of these amphibians. [8] [9] [10] The origins of the word frog are uncertain and ...
The smallest amphibian (and vertebrate) in the world is a frog from New Guinea (Paedophryne amauensis) with a length of just 7.7 mm (0.30 in). The largest living amphibian is the 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) South China giant salamander ( Andrias sligoi ), but this is dwarfed by prehistoric temnospondyls such as Mastodonsaurus which could reach up to 6 m ...
A few species deposit eggs on land or bypass the tadpole stage. Adult frogs generally have a carnivorous diet consisting of small invertebrates, but omnivorous species exist and a few feed on plant matter. Frog skin has a rich microbiome which is important to their health. Frogs are extremely efficient at converting what they eat into body mass.
The majority of animal species are invertebrates; one estimate puts the figure at 97%. [1] Many invertebrate taxa have a greater number and diversity of species than the entire subphylum of Vertebrata. [2] Invertebrates vary widely in size, from 10 μm (0.0004 in) [3] myxozoans to the 9–10 m (30–33 ft) colossal squid. [4]
Frogs are a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (Ancient Greek an-, without + oura, tail). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" appeared in the early Triassic of Madagascar , but molecular clock dating suggests their origins may extend further back to the Permian , 265 million years ago.
As with other invertebrates, the respiratory pigments of those arthropods that have them are generally dissolved in the blood and rarely enclosed in corpuscles as they are in vertebrates. [ 40 ] The heart is a muscular tube that runs just under the back and for most of the length of the hemocoel.
Researchers studying similar small-sized “flea toads” found this species to be particularly interesting due to its diminutive size as one of the smallest known vertebrate animals.
Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] In popular culture ( folk taxonomy ), toads are distinguished from frogs by their drier, rougher skin and association with more terrestrial habitats. [ 3 ]