2.3 Structural Organisation in Animals: The Frog

Morphology of the Frog

  • Body: Divisible into head and trunk; neck and tail are absent.
  • Skin: Moist, smooth, and slippery; dorsal side is olive green, ventral side is pale yellow.
  • Limbs: Short forelimbs (4 digits) and muscular hind limbs (5 webbed digits).
  • Sexual Dimorphism: Males have vocal sacs and a copulatory pad on the first digit of the forelimbs.

Digestive System

  • Alimentary Canal: Mouth -> Buccal Cavity -> Pharynx -> Oesophagus -> Stomach -> Intestine -> Rectum -> Cloaca.
  • Digestive Glands:
    • Liver: Secretes bile.
    • Pancreas: Produces pancreatic juice.
  • Digestion: Occurs in the stomach and intestine; absorption through villi and microvilli.

Respiratory System

  • Cutaneous Respiration: Through the skin in water.
  • Pulmonary Respiration: Through the lungs on land.
  • Buccal Respiration: Through the buccal cavity on land.

Circulatory System

  • Heart: Three-chambered (two atria, one ventricle).
  • Blood: Plasma, RBCs (nucleated), WBCs, platelets.
  • Circulation: Incomplete double circulation (mixed blood in the ventricle).

Excretory System

  • Organs: Kidneys, ureters, cloaca, urinary bladder.
  • Excretion: Ureotelic (excretes urea).
  • Pathway: Kidneys -> Ureters -> Cloaca.

Nervous System

  • Central Nervous System (CNS): Brain and spinal cord.
  • Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Cranial and spinal nerves.
  • Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): Sympathetic and parasympathetic.

Reproductive System

  • Male: Testes -> Vasa efferentia -> Bidder's canal -> Urinogenital duct -> Cloaca.
  • Female: Ovaries -> Oviducts -> Cloaca.
  • Fertilization: External, in water.
  • Development: Indirect, with a tadpole larval stage.