AMPHIBIANS

AND THEIR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Ramos, Chrystelle
Arguedo, Alyanni
 have a very similar digestive system to that
of other vertebrates

majority are carnivores, especially adults

Most adult terrestrial and aquatic

amphibians feed on invertebrates including
earthworms, bloodworms, fruit flies, fly
larvae, and crickets.

Some amphibians feed on vertebrates and

require live minnows, guppies, goldfish, or
newborn mice or rats.

Frogs can pull their eyes inward to help

swallow food.
TWO MAIN PARTS
ALIMENTARY DIGESTIVE
CANAL GLANDS

provides the produce chemical

physical substances
environment for facilitate the
digestion of food breakdown of food
particles
TWO MAIN PARTS
ALIMENTARY DIGESTIVE
CANAL GLANDS
mouth & accessory digestive organs
pharynx oral and salivary
esophagus glands
stomach gastric glands
small intestine liver
large intestine pancreas
cloaca intestinal glands
 MOUTH & BUCCAL CAVITY

entrance to the digestive tract

buccal cavity
houses the teeth and
tongue

primary palate
roof of the oral
cavity; no secondary
palate
MOUTH & BUCCAL CAVITY
TONGUE - highly muscular, retractile, and slimy

Primary tongue of perennibranchiate

amphibians
lean hyoid elevation
has no musculature
cannot be manipulated
assist the jaws in holding the prey within the
oropharyngeal cavity until it can be swallowed
 MOUTH & BUCCAL CAVITY

Tongue of terrestrial urodeles and anurans

primary tongue develops from hyoid arch
mesenchyme
extension develops from an embryonic glandular
field in the pharyngeal floor anterior to the hyoid
arch
 Frog/Toad

NEWT
MOUTH & BUCCAL CAVITY
Oral glands secretes a variety of substances into the oral
cavity
Mucous gland
Mucus - moistens the food as necessary to produce
a bolus that can be manipulated by the tongue
Salivary gland
Saliva - helps in the conversion of starch to sugar
Intermaxillary (internasal) glands
Near the maxillary bone
Frogs have up to 25 small intermaxillary glands
with its own duct that delivers a sticky secretion
onto the palate
MOUTH & BUCCAL CAVITY

TEETH

Frogs/Toad:
Vomerine teeth
two patches project from the bones in the roof of
the mouth
Maxillary teeth
line the perimeter of the upper jaw
Holds the prey
 MOUTH & BUCCAL CAVITY

Jaw teeth
Pleurodont dentition attached to the inner side
of the jawbone
Epidermal teeth
Used for rasping algae and other vegetation
In metamorphosis, horny teeth of anurans are
shed and replaced with bony ones
 PHARYNX

adult tetrapod pharynx had

pharyngeal pouches in the
embryo

constant features:
glottis a slit opening into the
larynx; covered by epiglottis
Eustachian tube openings
openings of the paired auditory
tubes
gullet opening opening into
the esophagus
 PHARYNX

Mucous membrane lining the pharynx is

smooth and slimy.

Other tetrapods have fleshy valves (in

either the air or food pathway, or both) at
appropriate locations.

In aquatic tetrapods, valves open and

close the entrance to the external nares.
 ESOPHAGUS

distensible muscular tube

shortest in neckless tetrapods and fishes
connects the pharynx and stomach

conducts foodstuff
to the stomach

glands in its lining

only secrete mucous
 STOMACH

slightly curved sac underneath the liver

capable of enormous distension
differentiated into two regions:
cardiac region anterior wide chamber towards
esophagus
pyloric region posterior narrow portion
receiving site for recently ingested food
terminates at the pylorus
surrounded by a ring of smooth muscle, the
pyloric sphincter
STOMACH
 STOMACH

first major site of chemical digestion

gastric glands tiny glands found in the
wall of the stomach
secretes digestive enzymes and
lubricatory mucous
macerates food before injecting it into the
small intestine
chyme accumulating product of
stomach activity
 SMALL INTESTINE
chief site of digestion and absorption of
nutrients
two segments:
duodenum short curved segment, about 3-5 cm long
ileum coiled portion held together by mesentery; 20-25 cm
long
 SMALL INTESTINE

receives bile and pancreatic juices through

the common bile duct
bile secreted by the liver and stored in the gall
bladder
helps in the digestion by changing the pH of food
from acidic to alkaline
emulsifies the fat in food
pancreatic juice secreted by the pancreas;
contains many enzymes like:
lipase digest lipids, yielding absorbable fatty acids & glycerol
amylase acts on carbohydrates
trypsin, chymotrypsin, etc.
 SMALL INTESTINE

intestinal glands numerous tiny glands

situated on the wall of the small intestine
Intestinal juice produced by these glands
contains many enzymes that help in digestion.
 LARGE INTESTINE

also called rectum

straight and short in fishes and
amphibians
short and broad tube, about 4-5 cm long
where absorption of unabsorbed nutrients
and reabsorption of water occurs
stores undigested food for a short time
liquid wastes is passed to urinary bladder
solid wastes are routed to the cloaca
 CLOACA

the only opening at

the end of the
frogs body
both liquid and
solid wastes are
expelled out here
cloacal aperture
posterior opening
on the body surface
of the cloaca