Biology
Ms. Ofori
Life processes in living things
Toad
Objectives
Describe the external features of a toad
Discuss the adaptations of a toad or frog to its habitat
Describe the life processes of a toad
Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Amphibia
Order Anura
Family Bufonidae
Genus Bufo
Species Bufo regularis
Habitat
Moist shady places
Under stones and tree trunks
In holes in the ground
Structure
The body is covered with loose-fitting warty skin which is usually
brown or greyish-brown
The body is streamlined with a wedge-shaped head and trunk without
neck or tail.
The head bears a wide mouth, which opens into a large buccal cavity
with a long sticky tongue attached to the front of the lower jaw
There is a pair nostrils above the mouth, these open into the buccal
cavity
Structure cont.
Behind the nostrils, the eyes protrude high up the head
Each eye has eyelids but only the lower lids are mobile.
The lower lid has a transparent fold of skin, the nictitating
membrane.
Tympanic membranes(ear drums) are behind the slightly below the
eyes
Behind each eardrum is a raised patch of skin known as a poison
gland
Structure cont
Two pairs of limbs arise from the trunk. The for fore limbs are short
and stout with four digits, which are not webbed.
The hind limbs are much longer and more muscular than the fore-
limbs. They have five slightly webbed digits
At the posterior end of the body are the cloacae, combining the anal
and the reproductive openings
Differences between toad and frog
Toad Frog
Adaptation of toads and frog to their
habitat
Adaptation of toad to its habitat
Adaptation of frog to its habitat
Nutrition
They feed on worms and insects which can be picked off the ground
with their mouth
An insect in flight can be caught by the toad leaping at it and
trapping it uses its long tongue
The tongue is flicked out rapidly towards the insect, which is
captured in the sticky mucus on its surface.
It is then drawn back into the mouth and the insect is swallowed
whole
Swallowing is aided by the eyes sinking into the head and pressing
on the food.
Teeth in the mouth prevent the prey from escaping.
The tongue may also be used to pick food off the ground or
vegetation
Gaseous exchange
In toads and frogs gaseous exchange occurs through the skin,
The lining of the mouth/buccal cavity and
Lungs
All these three structures have surfaces which are thin, moist and
well supplied with blood
Gaseous exchange occurs continuously through the skin and lining
of the buccal cavity when the animal is on land
Gaseous exchange through the buccal
cavity lining
the mouth is closed and the floor of the buccal cavity is lowered
This reduces the pressure in the buccal cavity thus drawing air into
it through the nostrils
Oxygen from the air dissolves in the mucus lining the buccal cavity
and diffuses out from the blood capillaries in the lining.
Carbon (IV) oxide diffuses out from the blood in the reverse
direction
The floor of the buccal cavity is then raised, the pressure in the
buccal cavity is increased and air is forced out through the nostrils
Lung breathing
Lung breathing occurs only when the toad or frog is active and
needs a lot of oxygen.
It can be observed as a rapid raising and lowering of the throat.
The lungs consist of two soft, pink, thin-walled sacs found in the
abdominal cavity
These are very well supplied with blood capillaries.
During the entire breathing process, the mouth is kept closed
For breathing in, the floor of the buccal cavity is lowered, causing
the pressure in the buccal cavity to fall.
Thus air is sucked into the buccal cavity through the nostrils.
These are then now closed, the floor of the buccal cavity is raised
and then and air is forced through the larynx into the lungs.
Here exchange of gases take place.
In breathing, the floor of the buccal cavity is lowered, the pressure
in the buccal cavity is reduced, causing air to be drawn into it from
the lungs.
The floor of the buccal cavity is then raised and expired air is then
forced out through the nostrils.
Gaseous exchange through the skin occurs all the time and is the
main method used in water.
It is more efficient in frogs than in toads because frogs have a
thinner, moist skin.
Oxygen dissolves in the moist mucus layer on the skin surface.
It then diffuses through the skin into the blood in an abundant
capillary network.
Carbon(IV) oxide passes out in exchange.
Excretion
The main nitrogenous waste is urea.
This is excreted by the kidneys and removed from the body in urine,
which the toad or frog passes out through the cloaca.
Other waste products excreted by the kidneys are excess water and
salts.
Carbon(IV) oxide is eliminated by the diffusion out of the blood
into lining of the buccal cavity, the lungs and skin.
The tadpole excretes its nitrogenous waste as ammonia.
Movement
Toads move by hopping leaping and crawling on land.
Frogs leap more than toads.
Hopping or leaping is brought about by the long muscular webbed
hind- limbs.
As they are rapidly extended by straightening, the webbed digits
push against the ground and take off.
Before landing, the hind-limbs are drawn up and fore-limbs are
stretched forward and take the shock of landing
Movement cont.
Toads mainly crawl.
This involves movement of the limbs diagonally one at a time:
front right, left back, front left, right back and so on
Three limbs are kept on the ground all of the time, maintaining a
stable position.
Toad and frogs swim in water
Forward movement is brought about by the long muscular hind-
limbs
Movement cont.
As these are straightened, the
webbed digits push against the
water and the toad or frog moves
forward.
The fore-limbs are held against the
body.
Change in direction(steering)
during swimming, is controlled by
the webbed digits of the hind-limbs
and fore-limbs
Reproduction and growth
The female toad is larger than the male.
During the breeding season, the male develops thickened horny
pads called nuptial pads, on the underside of the first digits of the
fore-limbs
The croaking of the male attracts the female
Mating takes place in the water.
The male climbs onto the back of the female, grasping her firmly
with his nuptial pads, and remains there until the eggs are laid
The eggs are surrounded by a layer of jelly as they are laid
The jelly is a protein called albumen
As the eggs are laid, the male sheds a fluid containing sperms over
them. The sperm is fertilized ( )
The jelly surrounding the eggs swells up immediately after
fertilization
The functions of this jelly are to
Protect the eggs from infection by bacteria
Enable the eggs to float to the water surface
Prevent predators, such as birds, from grasping and eating the eggs
because of its unpleasant taste and slippery nature
Prevent overcrowding of the eggs, thus making room for
development and better circulation of oxygen
Eggs are laid in strings of jelly called toad spawn
Fertilised eggs are black all over.
Unfertilized eggs are whitish underneath
They are abandoned by the parents; there is no parental care
Each egg hatch into a comma-shaped tadpole which wriggles out of
the jelly
The number of days and length measurements depend on factors
such as the amount of food available, temperature and oxygen
supply
The change from tadpole to toad is called metamorphosis
The hormone thyroxine controls metamorphosis in toads.
Too little of it prevents a tadpole from developing into a toad.
After metamorphosis, it takes the young toad about three years to
reach maturity.
Of several hundred eggs laid only one toad may reach maturity
Reproduction in frogs occurs in the same manner.
Irritability
As with all vertebrates, toads and frogs have fully developed
nervous systems with nerve fibres, a spinal cord and brain.
They are able to sense sudden changes in their environment and
react to them
However, they are less able to sense gradual changes in the
environmental conditions.
The excretion of water from the cloaca or a milky liquid from
behind their eyes when they are touched are examples of reflexive
irritability
Questions
Why are toads and frogs amphibians
Apart from toads and frogs name any two other organisms that
belong to class amphibian
Name the membrane that protects the outer surface of the eye of the
toad
The function of the tympanic membrane in the toad is to ……..
List three function of jelly around the eggs of the toad/frog
