General Characters Flashcards
(10 cards)
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Group: Craniata
Sub phylum: Vertebrata
Division: Gnathostomata
Super Class: Tetrapoda
Class: Amphibia
Genus: Rana
Species: tigrina
Habitat
- fresh water (for cutaneous respiration and larval development) and moist land
- cold-blooded or poikilothermic animal
Habit
- amphibious in habit and solitary animals except during breeding seasons
- following habits:
i) Resting
ii) Locomotion
iii) Feeding
iv) Croaking
v) Hibernation
vi) Aestivation
vii) Breeding
Resting
- Rests on land in a squatting posture
- Short forelimbs are upright and long forelimbs fold inside the body
- When disturbed, it suddenly jumps in water by extending its hindlimbs in order to escape
Locomotion
3 modes:
a) Swimming: They swim in water with the help of long and powerful hindlimbs. During this, webs are pushed against water and thus they move forward.
b) Leaping: Hindlimbs help to lift the body off the ground and forelimbs help to land.
c) Walking: Each limb is lifted, swung forward and placed on the ground again. When one limb is lifted and carried forward, other three are on the ground.
Feeding
- carnivorous
- mainly eats insects, spiders crustaceans etc.
- cannibal because it even feeds on its tadpoles and other smaller frogs
Croaking
- common in wet and rainy seasons
- only male frogs croak as a call for mating
- also known as wedding sound or advertisement for attracting female frog during breeding season
Hibernation
- In winters, body temp becomes low and they become sluggish so they undergo winter sleep known as hibernation to protect them from the cold weather.
Aestivation
During summer, to get protection from extreme heat they undergo summer sleep or they bury themselves in the mud which is called aestivation
Breeding
- generally breed in rainy season
- they generally seek shallow water for breeding place where they lay down eggs for fertilization
- parental care is absent
