ANATOMY OF FROG

Frogs are amphibians, living both on land and in water. Their anatomy is very unique.
Their bodies are similar to humans in that they have skin, bones, muscles, and organs. The body
of a frog can be divided into a head, a short neck, and a trunk. The head contains the brain,
mouth, eyes, ears and nose. The frog's head movement is limited due to the short, almost rigid
neck. The trunk of a frog forms walls for a single body cavity known as the coelom. The coelom
holds all of the frog's internal organs. Frogs have the same kinds of organs as humans and the
same organ systems. For example, frogs have a long, sticky tongue which they use to capture
food. They also have teeth, which unfortunately are very weak and rather useless. Humans have
tongues and teeth as well (and a mouth of course).

If you closely examine the head of a frog, you will find the following: eye sockets, eyes,
mouth, tongue, vomerine teeth, maxillary teeth, gullet teeth, external nostrils, internal nostrils,
the glottis opening, eustachian tube openings, the tympanic membranes and the esophagus. The
eyes, the mouth and the nostrils are all examples of a frog's external structures. In addition, a
frog's external structures also include the webbed feet and the cloaca opening. The tympanic
membranes or eardrums are exposed, but a frog does not have external ears. The internal
structures of a frog include: the heart, the lungs, the kidneys, the stomach, the liver, the small
intestine, the large intestine, the spleen, the pancreas, the gall bladder, the urinary bladder, the
cloaca, the ureter, the oviducts, the testes, the ovaries and fat bodies. Again, the frog has organs
that are similar to those of humans. For example, a frog has a brain, kidneys, lungs, eyes, a
stomach, intestines and a heart. The one major difference between the anatomy of a frog and that
of humans is that the is simpler than the anatomy of a man. Frogs don't have ribs or a diaphragm.
Humans have both and a diaphragm (thoracic diaphragm) plays an important function in
breathing and respiration. Breathing takes oxygen in and carbon dioxide out of the body.

Respiration is the process by which our cells are provided with oxygen for metabolism and
carbon dioxide, which is produced as a waste gas, is removed.

A frog uses its tongue for grabbing prey. The vomarine and maxillary teeth are used for
holding the prey. The internal nostrils are used by the frog for breathing. The tympanic
membrane is the eardrum. It is located behind the frog's eyes. The eustachian tubes equalize the
pressure in the frog's inner ear. The glottis is a tube, which leads to the lungs, while the
esophagus is a tube which leads to the frog's stomach. The stomach helps the frog break down
food and the liver also helps with digestion (it makes bile). Bile (also known as gall) is a fluid
secreted by hepatocytes from the liver of most vertebrates (humans and frogs are vertebrates).
Hepatocytes are cells present in the liver, and they initiate the formation and secretion of bile. In
many species, bile is stored in the gall bladder between meals. When eating, the bile is
discharged into the duodenum. Bile, therefore helps with digestion. The duodenum, which is the
first and shortest part of the small intestine, is responsible for the breakdown of food in the small
intestine. Most chemical digestion takes place in the duodenum. The small intestine absorbs
nutrients from food. The large intestine absorbs water. It also collects waste. You can also think
of the cloaca as storing waste, as this part of the frog collects eggs, sperm, urine and feces. The
cloaca (opening) is also where sperm, eggs, urine, and feces exit the frog's body. The spleen
stores blood, while the kidneys filter the blood. The ureters carry urine from the kidneys to the
bladder. The (urinary) bladder stores urine. The testes make sperm, while the ovaries makes eggs
and the eggs travel through the oviducts.

A frog's skin is always moist. It is made up of two layers, an outer epidermis and an inner
dermis. In addition to protecting the frog, the skin also helps the frog breathe. A frog will take in
oxygen from the water through their skin. The oxygen in the water passes through their skin and
goes directly to their blood. Frogs also have a pair of lungs which allows them to breathe when
on land. A frog has very few bones. They make up the skeleton of the frog. The skull (head bone)
is large and flat. The legs are long for jumping. In addition to being specialized for jumping, the
bones in their upper and hind legs are also specialized for leaping. The muscles move the
skeleton of the frog. The muscles help the frog jump and swim.
Frogs have other systems similar to humans that are a part of their bodies. For example, a
frog has a nervous system (all of the nerves and the spine), a circulatory system (the heart and
blood going through the body) and a digestive system (the food going through the mouth to the
intestines). The heart (which is part of the circulatory system) is three-chambered. There are two
atria and one ventricle. There is a valve within the frog's heart known as the spiral valve. It
directs the flow of blood to prevent oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood from mixing. A frog's
sense of hearing (which is part of the nervous system) is highly developed. Frogs can detect
high-pitched sounds with their ears. In addition to breathing oxygen through their skin when in
water, frogs can also detect low-pitched sounds through their skin. Another highly developed
system is a frog's sense of sight and smell (which again are both part of the nervous system).
Frogs detect predators and prey using their large eyes. Their eyes however have poorly
developed eyelids, which do not close. In order to close its eye, a frog has to draw the eye into its
socket. There is a third eyelid, known as the nictitating membrane. It can be drawn over the
pulled in eye (eyeball). Frogs also use their sense of smell to detect chemical signals. These
signals help them to identify potential food.