Video Transcript
Which of the following best
describes the difference in appearance between an amphibian and a reptile? (A) Amphibians have bodies covered
with smooth skin, while reptiles have bodies covered with dry scales. (B) Reptiles have bodies covered
with smooth skin, while amphibians have bodies covered with dry scales. Or (C) amphibians have bodies
covered with hair or fur, while reptiles have bodies covered with smooth or slimy
scales.
Amphibians and reptiles are two of
the classes within the vertebrate subgrouping of kingdom Animalia. While they share certain
characteristics, their anatomies differ in a few key ways.
The bodies of reptiles, like
snakes, lizards, and crocodiles, are covered in thick hard scales made of keratin,
covering most of the dry skin on their body. These scales both help to protect
reptiles from injury and also prevent them from losing excess water, which is
especially important for those that live in dry climates.
Amphibians, like frogs, toads, and
newts, on the other hand, all have smooth and moist skin that secretes mucus. This is helpful, as amphibians
spend part of their life in water and the moistness of their skin can help some
amphibians to exchange gases like oxygen with their watery environment.
The class of vertebrates that have
bodies covered with hair or fur are not amphibians or reptiles but are instead
mammals like humans, so option (C) is incorrect.
With the information that we’ve
learned, we can deduce that the correct answer is option (A). The option which best describes the
difference in appearance between an amphibian and a reptile is amphibians have
bodies covered with smooth skin, while reptiles have bodies covered with dry
scales.
