| Frog/toad differences frogs: smooth or slimy skin, bulging eyes, long/strong legs, webbed hind feet; prefer moist environments, lay their eggs in clusters. Toads: warty, dry skin, stubby bodies, short hind legs, lay eggs in long chains; tend to have parotid (poison) glands behind eyes, spend more time on land. Group of frogs--army; group of toads--knot. Gastric brooding frog Australian frog, not seen in wild for yrs, ma be extinct. Young were incubated inside frog's stomach, born out of Mom's mouth. If wouldn't leave mouth, she'd re-swallow it to be born later. Able to turn off production of stomach acids when carrying young. Horny toad Is a lizard; squirts stream of blood from eyes at attacker. Geckos Walk up walls, across ceilings; use atomic energy--van der Waal forces, weak forces of mutual attract'n between molecules. Mil.s of microscopic hairs protrude from lizard's feet; latch onto surfaces so tightly, intermolecular forces come into play. Most other animals use suct'n, frict'n, glue, wet adhesion to stick to surface. Hairs--self-cleaning, leave no adhesive residue; may lead to self-cleaning, dry adhesive invent'n. Snakes Some (pythons, boas...) have pits along lips that are infrared heat receptors. Can locate prey in total darkness. Chameleons Can rotate eyes independently, look in 2 direct'ns at once. Turtles They don't die of old age. After reaching maturity, its body doesn't continue to age biologically (negligible senescence.) Die from disease, injury, or predators; reports of turtles living more than 200 yrs. Some fish also never age. Study of reptiles/amphibians Herpetology. |
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| This page revised 5-3-03 |
| Facts: animals--amphibians, repiles |