Amphibians Amphibians Are Animals That Begin Life in the Water and Move on to Land As Adults
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Amphibians Amphibians are animals that begin life in the water and move on to land as adults. Amphibians lay eggs in the water. The eggs stay there until they hatch. Tadpoles hatch from the eggs of frogs and toads. Young amphibians live in the water just like tadpoles. Most adult amphibians will live on land, but they will still live near the water. Many amphibians have moist skin, but toads do not. Their skin is rough and bumpy. The metamorphosis, or change, of an amphibian is different from animals in other groups. For example, frog babies look very different than their parents. Young frogs hatch from eggs and begin life in the water as tadpoles. They breathe with gills, which help take oxygen from the water. When they grow, young frogs change. When they begin to grow older, they develop lungs and their gills disappear. They also develop legs and lose their tail. Covered Breathe Lives How Born With With Where Most Amphibians SPOTTED SALAMANDER WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY? Secretive and expert at hiding, spotted salamanders live in forests throughout much of the eastern United States and Canada. Though these bluish-black salamanders are large—about seven inches (18 centimeters) long—and List three facts about the spotted distinctly marked with bright yellow or orange spots, they're still not easy to find. They're active salamander. only at night. During the day they stay quietly hidden under rocks, leaf debris, and logs. They also ______________________________ use other animals' burrows as their daytime hideouts. It takes from 20 to 60 days for spotted salamander eggs to hatch. Like the tadpole stage of a ______________________________ frog, the salamander also starts out in a larval stage. It must be in water to survive until it ______________________________ develops into the adult salamander form, which takes from 60 to 90 days. Young salamanders eat ______________________________ the larvae of such insects as beetles and mosquitoes that share the water, as well as small animals ______________________________ they find around the edges of their pond. The type of food salamanders eat depends on the age. Very young ones live on micro-organisms ______________________________ called “infuus” in the pond. As it grows, it starts eating small animals like mosquito larvae. Then it What are the key details related to the life starts feeding on maggots, rain worms, fruit flies, buffalo worms, earthworms, slugs, snails and cycle of a spotted salamander? Use text crickets. Larger ones will eat mice, fish and crayfish. evidence in your answer. Predators like the skunks, turtles, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, opossums ______________________________ and snakes prey on the salamanders. Their ______________________________ eggs and larvae are also eaten by fish, ______________________________ crayfish, turtles, birds and frogs. However, ______________________________ their worst enemy is humans. Humans pollute and destroy their habitats. ______________________________ ______________________________ Spotted salamanders' favorite habitat is forests near rivers and ______________________________ streams. When it's the salamander looking for a tasty meal, it goes after such prey as insects, worms, slugs, spiders, and millipedes. ______________________________ ______________________________ AMERICAN BULLFROG WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY? The American Bullfrog is an amphibian and a large frog that lives in or near the water. Its scientific name is Rana catesbeiana. Where do bullfrogs live? List three facts about the American bull- Bullfrogs live across much of the United States. They range as far north as Canada and south into Mexico. frog. They have spread to where they are now found on other continents like Europe, Asia, and South ______________________________ America. Their preferred habitat is standing or slow-moving bodies of freshwater such as lakes, ponds, and marshes. They are generally found near the edges hidden in plants. ______________________________ How big do bullfrogs get? The body of a bullfrog can grow to around 6 inches long not including their legs. They have long legs that ______________________________ can add another 8-9 inches in length. They can weigh up to 1.5 pounds. Females tend to be a bit larger than ______________________________ males. ______________________________ Their skin is generally greenish to brown with black or dark brown spots and a lighter cream or yellow underbelly. They can be quite thick, have a wide flat head, long back legs, and shorter front legs. They have ______________________________ uniquely large eardrums that are the size of their eyes or even larger, in the case of the male bullfrog. What is the main idea of this text? Write What do they eat? two key details that support the main idea. Bullfrogs will eat just about any animal they can stuff into their mouths. They are nocturnal and hunt at night, sitting still and ambushing prey as it passes ______________________________ WOW FACTS! by them. They will often force the prey under ______________________________ • They live around 6-8 years long in the wild. the water to drown it. Typical food includes ______________________________ mice, other frogs, insects, fish, and even birds • Many people eat bullfrogs. The legs are the only part and snakes. that is eaten. ______________________________ • Bullfrogs can be helpful when they eat lots of mosquitoes, but sometimes their population can get out ______________________________ of control and can eat all the food needed by other ______________________________ species including other frogs. • Female bullfrogs lay as many as 25,000 eggs. These eggs ______________________________ float in clumps on top of the water. ______________________________ • Tadpoles hatch from eggs. They often stay in the tadpole stage for up to 2 years before becoming frogs. ______________________________ ______________________________ MUDPUPPY WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY? Mudpuppies, also called waterdogs, are one of MUDPUPPY FACTS only a few salamanders that make noise. List three facts about mudpuppies Among the largest of the salamanders, • The mudpuppy is a large salamander. Adult mudpuppies can reach between 8 and 13 ______________________________ mudpuppies can exceed 16 inches in length, inches in length. although the average is more like 11 inches. • The body of a mudpuppy is usually grey, ______________________________ Their range runs from southern central brownish-grey or rust-brown in color, ______________________________ Canada, through the midwestern United States, covered in bluish or grey spots. The underside of its body is grey and it can be ______________________________ east to North Carolina and south to Georgia covered with dark spots. and Mississippi. • The mudpuppy is named that way because it ______________________________ produces loud squeaks which sound like the ______________________________ Mudpuppies are common throughout their barking of a dog. range and have no special conservation status. • Unlike other salamanders, the mudpuppy Why are mudpuppies called that way? Use does not have poison in its skin that can be However, habitat loss and pollution is putting used against its predators. Instead, the text evidence in your answer. mudpuppy needs to hide in the case of pressure on some local populations. danger. ______________________________ • The main predators of mudpuppies are ______________________________ birds, large fish and snakes. Mudpuppies live on the bottoms of lakes, ponds, rivers, • Mudpuppies are carnivores (meat-eaters). ______________________________ and streams, and never leave the water. It feeds on different types of water invertebrates (crayfish, snails and worms), ______________________________ other salamanders and eggs of various ______________________________ water organisms. • Mudpuppies have poorly developed eyesight. ______________________________ It is able to detect prey by using well devel- oped sense of smell. ______________________________ • Mudpuppies that live in dark, murky waters ______________________________ are active during the whole day. Mudpuppies which live in clear water are active during ______________________________ the night, while they hide during the day in the aquatic vegetation or between rocks. ______________________________ ______________________________ NEWT WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY? Newts have the ability to regenerate limbs, eyes, spinal cords, hearts, intestines, and upper and lower jaws! List two facts about the newt. Amazing Facts About the Newt ______________________________ • The Great Crested Newt, Britain’s largest amphibian, can grow twice as big as other newts – up ______________________________ to 18cm long and live for up to 15 years. ______________________________ • The Great Crested Newt is black and warty in appearance with an orange and black spotted underside, with the markings characteristic to each individual. In the mating season he develops ______________________________ a large wavy crest down his back. ______________________________ • Female newts lay one egg at a time on a specially selected piece of pond plant. She sniffs the ______________________________ leaf and then after laying one egg closes the leaf around it with her back legs and glues it shut What did you learn about the life cycle of a over the egg. newt? Use text evidence in your answer. • Newts are predators of other pond animals – Great Crested Newts can eat smooth newts and ______________________________ tadpoles. ______________________________ • When