A present-day member is able to survive dry conditions by burrowing underground and secreting a water-tight mucus cocoon.
One early Jurassic ancestor of this order is viernaella herbsti, which possessed its characteristic nine presacral vertebrae. A present-day member is able to survive dry conditions by burrowing underground and secreting a water-tight mucus cocoon. When this order reproduces, the male grasps the female in an amplexus. Yet another member of this order has large oocytes, making it useful for studies of (*) body plan development. This order also contains the smallest known vertebrate, the model organism Xenopus laevis, and the colourful, toxic phyllobates terribilis; the aforementioned creatures are the "African clawed" and "golden poison dart" animals of this kind. For 10 points, name this order of amphibians whose larvae are known as tadpoles.
One early Jurassic ancestor of this order is viernaella herbsti, which possessed its characteristic nine presacral vertebrae.
frogs [or Anura]