Lymph hearts

Lymph hearts are organs found in some animals which pump lymph. Lymph hearts are found in lungfishes, all amphibians, reptiles and flightless birds. They function as small pumps to pump lymph that has leaked out of the circulatory system back into the circulatory system. Lymph hearts are organs found in some animals which pump lymph. Lymph hearts are found in lungfishes, all amphibians, reptiles and flightless birds. They function as small pumps to pump lymph that has leaked out of the circulatory system back into the circulatory system. The lymphatic system of a frog consists of lymph, lymph vessels, lymph heart, lymph spaces and spleen. Some mast cells can also be found in the lymphatics of the tongue of some of the frog species. As lymph is a filtrate of blood, it closely resembles the plasma in its water content. Lymph also contains a small amount of metabolic waste and a much smaller amount of protein than that of blood. Lymph vessels carry the lymph and, in the frog, open into the four lymph hearts. These lymph hearts are located on the dorsal side of frog's body. The front pair is situated below the shoulder blades. The posterior pair is on either side of a long, rod-like bone called a urostyle, formed by the fusion of the last few vertebrae. The anterior pair opens into the subclavian vein and the posterior pair into the femoral vein. The pair near the third vertebra pumps lymph into the jugular vein. The other pair at the end of the vertebral column pump lymph into the iliac vein in the legs. Rana catesbiana and Rana nigromaculata have mast cells in the lymphatics of the tongue. These are round and in the monocellular layer of the lymphatic walls either in close adhesion or in contact with the cytoplasmic process.