s are collated, edited, and returned to the students in the form of a "Scientific Meeting Abstract Booklet." The students are allocated specific times for their presentations, and the topics are arranged in a logical order. The students present their observations in the form of a typical "scientific meeting" format. This meeting occurs two to three lab sessions later. Each group has a 15-minute time slot, and is generally allowed 10 minutes for its presentation (each member of the group must speak) and 5 minutes question time. They are graded individually at this stage, for both form and content of their presentation. To maintain attention, students are informed that test questions will be taken from this meeting. They are also awarded bonus points (at the discretion of the instructor) if they ask relevant, coherent, and intelligent questions. 496 THE AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER, VOLUME 66, NO.7, SEPTEMBER 2004 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.128 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 06:27:55 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 66"2; a.' s1o|1 a .' * so Labyrinthodont vs. Bullfrogs: Which was the better hunter? (name/s of all people in the group here) (Introduction) Labyrinthodonts are an assemblage of extinct amphibians (Upper Devonian to Triassic).They are the most primitive known tetrapods, and are a sister taxon to the extant Lissamphibia, wherein lies the bullfrog, and other such amphibians. Although "labyrinthodonts" are ancestral to bullfrogs, were they so poorly adapted to the environment that they eventually went extinct? (Material & Methods) In this study, I examined and dissected the feeding apparatus of a bullfrog and compared it to known information about the "labyrinthodonts'.(Results) The bullfrog uses its muscular tongue to capture the prey and a series of blunt teeth to hold the prey in place whilst swallowing. (Discussion) Bullfrogs are omnivorous, and will generally eat anything that can fit into their mouths (including small mammals, ducklings, and other frogs). They are primarily ambush predators, though they can briefly chase after their prey, using both visual and auditory senses to track the prey down. In contrast, "labyrinthodonts" were primarily insectivorous. They actively pursued their prey, relying upon the olfactory sense for detection, and used sharp, conical teeth to clamp down and chew the food prior to digestion. Thus,"labyrinthodonts" possessed a suite of specializations, which in turn enabled them to survive for an extended period of time.