PurposeThe purpose is to compare the integumentary system and digestive system of a rat with that of a cane toad.IntroductionThe integumentary system is defined by Adam. com, Inc. as a vast system that compromises the skin, hair, nails along with sweat and sebaceous glands. It also includes specialized nerve receptors that alert us to changes around us such as touch, cold, heat, pain and pressure. These organs help protect internal structures, protect against the entry of disease, regulate temperature, and expel through sweat (2001). The integumentary system then becomes more specific within the different classes of vertebrates. This is demonstrated by comparing the integumentary system of a rat and a cane toad. A rat is a mammal and therefore has many characteristics common to all mammals. Cane toads, however, are amphibians and so there are many differences compared to a rat. A rat's body has a thick covering of hair that is unique to mammals. This provides insulation, vital for maintaining a constant core body temperature. The cane toad, being an amphibian, has no hair on its body. There are some similarities in the skin though. Both of their skins are made up of two layers, the epidermis and the dermis, although this is very similar. Augusta State University states that the epidermis of a cane toad is lined with a layer of dead cells (2006). This helps the animal by decreasing the amount of water lost through the skin. The dermis of most amphibians is very rich in capillaries because they breathe through their skin. Blood vessels must be close to the skin for effective diffusion of oxygen from the air into the blood. For the rat, the epidermis is the top layer and protects the animal from t...... middle of paper ......The caecum inside the rat was well developed and large compared to the toad . The rat's caecum was connected to the digestive system between the small and large intestines and extended to behind the stomach. The toad's cecum was much shorter. The large intestine in both animals was quite similar. The colon was connected to the small intestine and was much larger in diameter but was not as long. In both animals the large intestine was gray in color, although the toad's colon had a pink tint. The rectum then joined the colon. The rectum was much shorter but had an even wider diameter. It was also a darker grey. This gray would be caused by feces inside the colon and rectum. Overall, although the integumentary system of a rat and a toad had a large number of differences, the digestive system of both animals had many parallels despite some small variations..