Comparison of Major Animal Phyla
Protist Lab
Purpose: To compare structures and functions of protozoa and organisms.
Observations/Results: Paramecium- We were able to observe the paramecium and its micronucleus and macronucleus under the 4X and 10X lenses. Its main body was light blue and the nuclei were darker blue. Euglena- It was dark brown/green. We could see it best under 45X lens, and we could see the pyrenoid and chloroplast. Vorticella- It had a red, stick-like body, which was surrounded by yellow/brown spots. Amoeba Proteus- There were multiple differently-shape parts that were mostly light blue with red spots. It was seen best with the 45X lens. Mixed Culture- There was a lot of algae surrounding the protist.
Analysis/Conclusion: We were able to successfully see the protozoa in most of the slides, especially once we had a technique that we felt worked best to see each the slides. We first started off by using the 4X magnification lens, and once we could see a small organism, we moved on to a higher magnification. There were sometimes problems when we mistook either a scratch on the slide, a bubble, or artifact for the protozoa. It was interesting to be able to clearly see the detailed structure of the protozoa and learn their functions while actually looking at them.
Sponge Dissection
Ecology of the Porifera: Sponges have irregular shapes and many are large. Because of this, they provide habitats for marine animals like snails, sea stars, and shrimp. Sponges also form partnerships with bacteria, algae, and other plantlike protists. They provide oxygen and food for the sponge, and the sponge gives shelter and protection for the animals. Sponges usually live attached to the deep sea floor, where they receive low levels of sunlight. It is unknown to how the sponges receive sunlight to perform photosynthesis. It is guessed that the sponge has a sort of lens on the the antennae.
Groups of the Porifera: Sponges have three different groups: the calcareous sponges, the demosponges, and the glass sponges. The calcareous sponges are characterized by spicules made out of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite or aragonite. The demospongiae are the largest class in the phylum Porifera. In fact, the demosponges include 81% of all species of sponges with nearly 7,000 species worldwide. They are predominantly leuconoid in structure. Their "skeletons" are made of spicules consisting of fibers of the protein spongin, the mineral silica, or both. The glass sponge, aka the hexactinellid sponge, have a skeleton made of four to six pointed siliceous spicules, which are structures that provide support and ward off predators. They are the most uncommon kind of sponge.
Jellyfish Dissection
Ecology of Cnidarians(specifically corals): The distribution of corals in the world is determined by the environment’s temperature, water depth, and light intensity. Stony and hard corals require high levels of light because they rely on mutualistic relationships with algae that capture solar energy. These relationships allow coral reefs to live in water that carries few nutrients. Corals suffer from the use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and industrial pollutants. Overfishing can also upset the ecological balance of coral reefs. Many corals have died from bleaching, which is caused by rising ocean temperatures.
Groups of Cnidarians: Cnidarians include jellyfishes, hydras and their relatives, and sea anemones and corals. Jellyfish are part of the class Scyphozoa. Scyphozoa means “cup animals.” Scyphozoa live their lives primarily in their medusa stage. The polyp form of jellyfish is restricted. They live in a small larval stage and never form any elaborate colonies. Jellyfishes can be quite large, the largest ever found was 4 meters in diameter and its tentacles were over 30 meters long. Hydras and their relatives are part of the call Hydrozoa. Jellyfish reproduce sexually. The polyps grow in branching colonies that sometimes extend more than a meter. Polyps are specialized to perform different functions within their colonies. The most common hydrozoan living in fresh water are hydras. Hydras lack a medusa stage. They reproduce asexually. Hydras get their nutrients from the symbiotic photosynthetic protists that line in their tissues or by capturing, stinging, and digesting small prey. Sea anemones and corals are part of the class anthozoa. All anthozoa have a central body surrounded by tentacles. Most species are comprised of many individual polyps that make up a colony. Sea anemones live at all depths of the ocean, They use nematocysts to catch a variety of marine organisms. Many shallow-water species also depend on nutrition from photosynthetic symbionts. Individual coral polyps look like miniature sea anemones, though coral grows in large numbers forming colonies. The colonies grow slowly and may live for hundreds or even thousands of years. Having many coral colonies near each other creates beautiful coral reefs. Anthzoans reproduce sexually.
Squid Dissection
Ecology of the Mollusks: Mollusks feed on plants, prey on animals, and “clean up” their surroundings by filtering algae out of water. They are also an important source of food for many organisms, including humans. A recent exploration in the deep sea discovered symbiotic bacteria within bivalves. The bacteria extract chemical energy that can produce food molecules that mollusks can use. Mollusks serve as important subjects in biological research. Current investigations base on the observation that snails and other types of mollusks never develop any form of cancer. If scientists find out what protects their cells from cancer, they will gain insights on how to fight human cancer.
Groups of Mollusks- Gastropods: Gastropods include pond snails, land slugs, sea butterflies, sea hares, limpets, and nudibranchs. Gastropods are either shell-less or single-shelled. They move by using a muscular foot located on the ventral side. Many animals can pull completely into their shells when threatened. Many snails are protected by a hard disc on the foot that forms a solid door at the mouth of their shell when they withdraw. Some slugs and nudibranchs have no shell. They protect themselves by spending daylight hours under rocks and logs. Sea hares squirt ink into the surrounding water, producing “smoke screen” that confuses predators. Some nudibranchs have chemicals in their bodies that taste bad or are poisonous. When bitten the predator becomes ill. Members of the class Bivalvia have two shells that are held together by one or two powerful muscles. Bivalves include clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops. Clams burrow in mud or sand. Mussels use sticky threads to attach themselves to rocks. Scallops can move around rapidly by flapping this shells when threatened. Currents created by cilia on the gills circulate water through the bodies of bivalves. Filter-feeding bivalves use mucus and cilia on their gills to trap food particles in the water. Other bivalves use long, muscular extensions of tissue that surround the mouth to collect food material deposited in sand or mud sediments. Cephalopods are the most active of the mollusks. Cephalopods include octopi, squids, cuttlefishes and nautiluses. Cephalopods are typically soft bodied mollusks in which the head is attached to a single foot. The foot is divided into tentacles or arms. They have at least eight tentacles that all have sucking disks that grab and hold prey. Nautiluses have many tentacles but lack suckers. Instead they have a mucus like covering. Most cephalopods have only small internal shells or no shells at all. Cephalopods also have numerous complex sense organs that help them detect and respond to external stimuli. They distinguish shapes by sight and by touch.
Earthworm Dissection
Ecology of the Annelida: Annelids are segmented worms. The well developed coelom (fluid filled body cavity) acts as a hydrostatic skeleton with muscles of the body walls acting on it. The most ecological role the annelid as play in the environment is their reworking of soil and sediments. They are constantly burrowing away at the soil and they may digest and excrete large amounts of soil or sediments.
Groups of Annelida: The annelids have three different groups: the oligochaetes, the the leeches, and the polychaetes. Oligochaetes are annelids that typically have streamlined bodies and relatively few setae compared to polychaetes. Setae is a stiff hairlike or bristlelike structure. Most oligochaetes live in soil or freshwater. Leeches are typically external parasites that suck the blood and body fluids from the host. Polychaetes are marine annelids that have paired, paddlelike appendages tipped with setae.
Grasshopper Dissection
Arthropod Ecology: Grasshoppers are an essential part of grassland ecosystems. They are abundant in wetlands, agricultural fields, and lawns. Grasshoppers like warm and dry weather, so that their populations may be larger, because warm weather enhances grasshopper development and survival. Grasshoppers help stimulate plant growth and play an important part in nutrient cycling because of the beneficial role they play in the ecosystems of plants and crops. They also are a major food source for wildlife. However, although they are helpful, grasshoppers and locusts have had breakouts in population and have affected many crops worldwide.
Groups of Arthropods and their Characteristics: There are four different types of Arthropods: insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans. Insects have a three part body: three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and one pair of antennae. Insects are one of the most diverse groups on the planet, with over a million species, and representing over half of all known living organisms. Insects have an exoskeleton, and they undergo three-stage metamorphosis. Insects move by walking, flying, or swimming. Many insects are beneficial to the environment and humans. Arachnids are a group of joint legged invertebrate animals that have eight legs, even though some of those legs have developed into sensory legs. Appendages on arachnids can grow large enough to appear as if they are legs. They comprise of over 100,000 species. Arachnids have two kinds of eyes, lateral and median ocelli. They are most abundant in moist forests Myriapoda contain animals such millipedes, centipedes, and over 13,000 more species.They are all terrestrial and have over 750 legs. They have one pair of antennae and simple eyes. Mandibles lie inside their mouth, which is on the bottom of the body. They breathe through spiracles. Crustaceans typically have two pairs of antennae, two or three body sections, and chewing mouthparts called mandibles. The antennae have many sensory hairs. Some of them even have swimmerets that help them to move.
Perch Dissection
Ecology of the Class Actinoptergii: Most fish spend their entire lives in either fresh or ocean water. Freshwater fish cannot tolerate the high salt concentration in salt water because their kidneys need to keep an internal water balance. Ocean fishes cannot tolerate the low salt concentration in fresh ecosystems. Some species of fish can move to and from salt and fresh environments. For example, salmon, lampreys, and sturgeons live in the ocean but migrate to freshwater to breed. These types of fish are called anadromous. Catadromous fish live in freshwater but breed in the ocean. The eggs of catadromous fish are carried by currents in the North Atlantic Ocean to shallow coastal waters.
Groups of Fishes: All living fishes can be classified into three groups: jawless, cartilaginous, and bony. Jawless fishes have no teeth or jaws. Their skeletons are made of fibers and cartilage, which means they lack vertebrae.One of the classes of jawless fish is the lampreys. They are filter feeders as larvae and parasites as adults. The other class, hagfishes, have worm-like bodies and four or six short tentacles around their mouths. They feed on dead and dying fish by using a toothed tongue. Sharks and their relatives are cartilaginous fish. Bony fishes make up the class Osteichthyes. Their skeletons are made of hard, calcified tissue called bone. Almost all of them belong to the group of ray-finned fish.
1. The fish has a slim body with five fins: the anterior dorsal, posterior dorsal, caudal, anal, pelvic, and pectoral fin. The fins in multiple places show adaptations for life in the water and the operculum covering the gills is essential for the fish.
2. The gill rakers could be used to assist in feeding and filtering the particles that go through the gills.
4. The scales are faced towards the posterior of the fish, in the opposite direction in which the fish swims. The advantage of this would be that the perch would be able to fish more quickly and smoothly through the water.
5. The perch has two perches. They are different from human nostrils because they are used only to detect odors, not to breathe.
6. The gills are protected by the operculum and have multiple layers close to the mouth and connected to the main parts of the body, making them an efficient respiratory organ.
7. The lateral line is a sensory organ with specialized cells that can detect vibrations in the water and the direction they come from. It is located in the center of the perch's sides along the spine.
1. The endoskeleton protects the vital organs of the fish and allows it to swim more easily in the water.
2. The guppy produces less eggs than the perch because it fertilizes its eggs internally while the
perch leaves them outside exposed. Guppies have a higher survival rate because the eggs that become guppies are protected.
3. The swim bladder allows the fish to control its buoyancy in the water by allowing more or less gases into the bladder.
4. The fish that have luminescent chemicals in their skin can be seen more easily in the darkness of the deeper water.
8. The blood in the heart is oxygenated by the gills. It goes to the organs of the head and body after the gills.
Frog Dissection
Ecology of Amphibians: Amphibians must live near water, which explains why they are common in tropical rain forests. Most can not live in desert biomes because there would not be enough water to keep their skin moist. Amphibians make the ideal prey for larger animals, making it more crucial for them to adapt. Some of these adaptations include camouflaged-colored skin and skin glands containing poisonous substances. The population of the group in the world has been declining because they are more susceptible to a variety of environmental threats.
Groups of Amphibians and their Characteristics:
Salamanders: The generic salamander body plan is a cylindrical body with four very short limbs and a tail. Salamanders are differentiated from other amphibians because all salamander larvae, juveniles and adults have tails.
Frogs and Toads: Frogs and toads are part of the order Anura. One of the things that makes animals from this group different from salamanders and caecilians is their ability to jump. Frogs tend to jump longer distances than toads do which helps to explain why frogs have longer legs than toads. Adult frogs and toads do not have tails. While frogs typically live closer to bodies of water such as ponds and streams, toads often live in moist woods or deserts.
Caecilians: Caecilians are the least known group of amphibians. They are legless that either live in water or burrow themselves in moist soil or sediment. They feed on small invertebrates such as termites. Many of them have scales embedded in their skin. This demonstrates that some amphibians don’t fit the general description.
Purpose: To compare structures and functions of protozoa and organisms.
Observations/Results: Paramecium- We were able to observe the paramecium and its micronucleus and macronucleus under the 4X and 10X lenses. Its main body was light blue and the nuclei were darker blue. Euglena- It was dark brown/green. We could see it best under 45X lens, and we could see the pyrenoid and chloroplast. Vorticella- It had a red, stick-like body, which was surrounded by yellow/brown spots. Amoeba Proteus- There were multiple differently-shape parts that were mostly light blue with red spots. It was seen best with the 45X lens. Mixed Culture- There was a lot of algae surrounding the protist.
Analysis/Conclusion: We were able to successfully see the protozoa in most of the slides, especially once we had a technique that we felt worked best to see each the slides. We first started off by using the 4X magnification lens, and once we could see a small organism, we moved on to a higher magnification. There were sometimes problems when we mistook either a scratch on the slide, a bubble, or artifact for the protozoa. It was interesting to be able to clearly see the detailed structure of the protozoa and learn their functions while actually looking at them.
Sponge Dissection
Ecology of the Porifera: Sponges have irregular shapes and many are large. Because of this, they provide habitats for marine animals like snails, sea stars, and shrimp. Sponges also form partnerships with bacteria, algae, and other plantlike protists. They provide oxygen and food for the sponge, and the sponge gives shelter and protection for the animals. Sponges usually live attached to the deep sea floor, where they receive low levels of sunlight. It is unknown to how the sponges receive sunlight to perform photosynthesis. It is guessed that the sponge has a sort of lens on the the antennae.
Groups of the Porifera: Sponges have three different groups: the calcareous sponges, the demosponges, and the glass sponges. The calcareous sponges are characterized by spicules made out of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite or aragonite. The demospongiae are the largest class in the phylum Porifera. In fact, the demosponges include 81% of all species of sponges with nearly 7,000 species worldwide. They are predominantly leuconoid in structure. Their "skeletons" are made of spicules consisting of fibers of the protein spongin, the mineral silica, or both. The glass sponge, aka the hexactinellid sponge, have a skeleton made of four to six pointed siliceous spicules, which are structures that provide support and ward off predators. They are the most uncommon kind of sponge.
Jellyfish Dissection
Ecology of Cnidarians(specifically corals): The distribution of corals in the world is determined by the environment’s temperature, water depth, and light intensity. Stony and hard corals require high levels of light because they rely on mutualistic relationships with algae that capture solar energy. These relationships allow coral reefs to live in water that carries few nutrients. Corals suffer from the use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and industrial pollutants. Overfishing can also upset the ecological balance of coral reefs. Many corals have died from bleaching, which is caused by rising ocean temperatures.
Groups of Cnidarians: Cnidarians include jellyfishes, hydras and their relatives, and sea anemones and corals. Jellyfish are part of the class Scyphozoa. Scyphozoa means “cup animals.” Scyphozoa live their lives primarily in their medusa stage. The polyp form of jellyfish is restricted. They live in a small larval stage and never form any elaborate colonies. Jellyfishes can be quite large, the largest ever found was 4 meters in diameter and its tentacles were over 30 meters long. Hydras and their relatives are part of the call Hydrozoa. Jellyfish reproduce sexually. The polyps grow in branching colonies that sometimes extend more than a meter. Polyps are specialized to perform different functions within their colonies. The most common hydrozoan living in fresh water are hydras. Hydras lack a medusa stage. They reproduce asexually. Hydras get their nutrients from the symbiotic photosynthetic protists that line in their tissues or by capturing, stinging, and digesting small prey. Sea anemones and corals are part of the class anthozoa. All anthozoa have a central body surrounded by tentacles. Most species are comprised of many individual polyps that make up a colony. Sea anemones live at all depths of the ocean, They use nematocysts to catch a variety of marine organisms. Many shallow-water species also depend on nutrition from photosynthetic symbionts. Individual coral polyps look like miniature sea anemones, though coral grows in large numbers forming colonies. The colonies grow slowly and may live for hundreds or even thousands of years. Having many coral colonies near each other creates beautiful coral reefs. Anthzoans reproduce sexually.
Squid Dissection
Ecology of the Mollusks: Mollusks feed on plants, prey on animals, and “clean up” their surroundings by filtering algae out of water. They are also an important source of food for many organisms, including humans. A recent exploration in the deep sea discovered symbiotic bacteria within bivalves. The bacteria extract chemical energy that can produce food molecules that mollusks can use. Mollusks serve as important subjects in biological research. Current investigations base on the observation that snails and other types of mollusks never develop any form of cancer. If scientists find out what protects their cells from cancer, they will gain insights on how to fight human cancer.
Groups of Mollusks- Gastropods: Gastropods include pond snails, land slugs, sea butterflies, sea hares, limpets, and nudibranchs. Gastropods are either shell-less or single-shelled. They move by using a muscular foot located on the ventral side. Many animals can pull completely into their shells when threatened. Many snails are protected by a hard disc on the foot that forms a solid door at the mouth of their shell when they withdraw. Some slugs and nudibranchs have no shell. They protect themselves by spending daylight hours under rocks and logs. Sea hares squirt ink into the surrounding water, producing “smoke screen” that confuses predators. Some nudibranchs have chemicals in their bodies that taste bad or are poisonous. When bitten the predator becomes ill. Members of the class Bivalvia have two shells that are held together by one or two powerful muscles. Bivalves include clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops. Clams burrow in mud or sand. Mussels use sticky threads to attach themselves to rocks. Scallops can move around rapidly by flapping this shells when threatened. Currents created by cilia on the gills circulate water through the bodies of bivalves. Filter-feeding bivalves use mucus and cilia on their gills to trap food particles in the water. Other bivalves use long, muscular extensions of tissue that surround the mouth to collect food material deposited in sand or mud sediments. Cephalopods are the most active of the mollusks. Cephalopods include octopi, squids, cuttlefishes and nautiluses. Cephalopods are typically soft bodied mollusks in which the head is attached to a single foot. The foot is divided into tentacles or arms. They have at least eight tentacles that all have sucking disks that grab and hold prey. Nautiluses have many tentacles but lack suckers. Instead they have a mucus like covering. Most cephalopods have only small internal shells or no shells at all. Cephalopods also have numerous complex sense organs that help them detect and respond to external stimuli. They distinguish shapes by sight and by touch.
Earthworm Dissection
Ecology of the Annelida: Annelids are segmented worms. The well developed coelom (fluid filled body cavity) acts as a hydrostatic skeleton with muscles of the body walls acting on it. The most ecological role the annelid as play in the environment is their reworking of soil and sediments. They are constantly burrowing away at the soil and they may digest and excrete large amounts of soil or sediments.
Groups of Annelida: The annelids have three different groups: the oligochaetes, the the leeches, and the polychaetes. Oligochaetes are annelids that typically have streamlined bodies and relatively few setae compared to polychaetes. Setae is a stiff hairlike or bristlelike structure. Most oligochaetes live in soil or freshwater. Leeches are typically external parasites that suck the blood and body fluids from the host. Polychaetes are marine annelids that have paired, paddlelike appendages tipped with setae.
Grasshopper Dissection
Arthropod Ecology: Grasshoppers are an essential part of grassland ecosystems. They are abundant in wetlands, agricultural fields, and lawns. Grasshoppers like warm and dry weather, so that their populations may be larger, because warm weather enhances grasshopper development and survival. Grasshoppers help stimulate plant growth and play an important part in nutrient cycling because of the beneficial role they play in the ecosystems of plants and crops. They also are a major food source for wildlife. However, although they are helpful, grasshoppers and locusts have had breakouts in population and have affected many crops worldwide.
Groups of Arthropods and their Characteristics: There are four different types of Arthropods: insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans. Insects have a three part body: three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and one pair of antennae. Insects are one of the most diverse groups on the planet, with over a million species, and representing over half of all known living organisms. Insects have an exoskeleton, and they undergo three-stage metamorphosis. Insects move by walking, flying, or swimming. Many insects are beneficial to the environment and humans. Arachnids are a group of joint legged invertebrate animals that have eight legs, even though some of those legs have developed into sensory legs. Appendages on arachnids can grow large enough to appear as if they are legs. They comprise of over 100,000 species. Arachnids have two kinds of eyes, lateral and median ocelli. They are most abundant in moist forests Myriapoda contain animals such millipedes, centipedes, and over 13,000 more species.They are all terrestrial and have over 750 legs. They have one pair of antennae and simple eyes. Mandibles lie inside their mouth, which is on the bottom of the body. They breathe through spiracles. Crustaceans typically have two pairs of antennae, two or three body sections, and chewing mouthparts called mandibles. The antennae have many sensory hairs. Some of them even have swimmerets that help them to move.
Perch Dissection
Ecology of the Class Actinoptergii: Most fish spend their entire lives in either fresh or ocean water. Freshwater fish cannot tolerate the high salt concentration in salt water because their kidneys need to keep an internal water balance. Ocean fishes cannot tolerate the low salt concentration in fresh ecosystems. Some species of fish can move to and from salt and fresh environments. For example, salmon, lampreys, and sturgeons live in the ocean but migrate to freshwater to breed. These types of fish are called anadromous. Catadromous fish live in freshwater but breed in the ocean. The eggs of catadromous fish are carried by currents in the North Atlantic Ocean to shallow coastal waters.
Groups of Fishes: All living fishes can be classified into three groups: jawless, cartilaginous, and bony. Jawless fishes have no teeth or jaws. Their skeletons are made of fibers and cartilage, which means they lack vertebrae.One of the classes of jawless fish is the lampreys. They are filter feeders as larvae and parasites as adults. The other class, hagfishes, have worm-like bodies and four or six short tentacles around their mouths. They feed on dead and dying fish by using a toothed tongue. Sharks and their relatives are cartilaginous fish. Bony fishes make up the class Osteichthyes. Their skeletons are made of hard, calcified tissue called bone. Almost all of them belong to the group of ray-finned fish.
1. The fish has a slim body with five fins: the anterior dorsal, posterior dorsal, caudal, anal, pelvic, and pectoral fin. The fins in multiple places show adaptations for life in the water and the operculum covering the gills is essential for the fish.
2. The gill rakers could be used to assist in feeding and filtering the particles that go through the gills.
4. The scales are faced towards the posterior of the fish, in the opposite direction in which the fish swims. The advantage of this would be that the perch would be able to fish more quickly and smoothly through the water.
5. The perch has two perches. They are different from human nostrils because they are used only to detect odors, not to breathe.
6. The gills are protected by the operculum and have multiple layers close to the mouth and connected to the main parts of the body, making them an efficient respiratory organ.
7. The lateral line is a sensory organ with specialized cells that can detect vibrations in the water and the direction they come from. It is located in the center of the perch's sides along the spine.
1. The endoskeleton protects the vital organs of the fish and allows it to swim more easily in the water.
2. The guppy produces less eggs than the perch because it fertilizes its eggs internally while the
perch leaves them outside exposed. Guppies have a higher survival rate because the eggs that become guppies are protected.
3. The swim bladder allows the fish to control its buoyancy in the water by allowing more or less gases into the bladder.
4. The fish that have luminescent chemicals in their skin can be seen more easily in the darkness of the deeper water.
8. The blood in the heart is oxygenated by the gills. It goes to the organs of the head and body after the gills.
Frog Dissection
Ecology of Amphibians: Amphibians must live near water, which explains why they are common in tropical rain forests. Most can not live in desert biomes because there would not be enough water to keep their skin moist. Amphibians make the ideal prey for larger animals, making it more crucial for them to adapt. Some of these adaptations include camouflaged-colored skin and skin glands containing poisonous substances. The population of the group in the world has been declining because they are more susceptible to a variety of environmental threats.
Groups of Amphibians and their Characteristics:
Salamanders: The generic salamander body plan is a cylindrical body with four very short limbs and a tail. Salamanders are differentiated from other amphibians because all salamander larvae, juveniles and adults have tails.
Frogs and Toads: Frogs and toads are part of the order Anura. One of the things that makes animals from this group different from salamanders and caecilians is their ability to jump. Frogs tend to jump longer distances than toads do which helps to explain why frogs have longer legs than toads. Adult frogs and toads do not have tails. While frogs typically live closer to bodies of water such as ponds and streams, toads often live in moist woods or deserts.
Caecilians: Caecilians are the least known group of amphibians. They are legless that either live in water or burrow themselves in moist soil or sediment. They feed on small invertebrates such as termites. Many of them have scales embedded in their skin. This demonstrates that some amphibians don’t fit the general description.