frog Facts

Facts about Frogs , Amphibians, Reptiles, Fish & other Animals

The frog is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning "tail-less" from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). Adult frogs are characterized by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits, protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Most frogs have a semi-aquatic lifestyle, but move easily on land by jumping or climbing. They typically lay their eggs in puddles, ponds or lakes; and their larvae, called tadpoles, have gills and develop in water. Adult frogs follow a carnivorous diet, mostly of arthropods, annelids and gastropods. Frogs are most noticeable by their call, which can be widely heard during the night or day, mainly in their mating season.

The distribution of frogs ranges from tropic to sub arctic regions, but most species are found in tropical rainforests. Consisting of more than 5,000 species described, they are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates. However, populations of certain frog species are significantly declining.

A distinction is often made between frogs and toads on the basis of their appearance, caused by the convergent adaptation among so-called toads to dry environments; however, this distinction has no taxonomic basis. The only family exclusively given the common name "toad" is Bufonidae, but many species from other families are also called "toads," and the species within the toad genus Atelopus are referred to as "harlequin frogs."

The name frog derives from Old English frogga,

Frogs absorb water through their skin so they don't need to drink
Frogs can lay as many as 4,000 eggs in frogspawn
The eyes and nose of a frog are on top of its head so it can breathe and see when most of its body is under the water.
Frogs need both water and land to live.
A frog can change the color of its skin depending on its surroundings.
Frogs have long back legs and webbed feet for jumping and swimming.
Certain frogs can jump up to 20 times their own body length in a single leap.
Frogs usually eat meat (bugs and worms) and swallow their food whole.
The world's biggest frog is the goliath frog from Cameroon in West Africa. Their body can be one-foot long.
The smallest frogs in the world are less than half-an-inch long.
The eggs of the marsupial frog are laid in a brood pouch on the mothers back and the young hatch out in a zipper-like fashion from the pouch.
In the Seychelles, there is a male frog that carries its young around on its back until they become adults.
Research has shown that Ammonium Nitrate (a fertilizer) can cause agonizing death for frogs. This fertilizer is spread on fields in the spring when frogs are migrating. Frogs suffer a massive toxic attack if they come in contact with it.
Asian tree frogs build nests in trees over water so when their tadpoles hatch, they drop directly into the water.
People who study frogs and toads are called herpetologists. Herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles.
Herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles.
Frog bones form a new ring every year when the frog is hibernating, just like trees do. Scientists can count these rings to discover the age of the frog.
The wax frog retains moisture in dry weather by producing wax from its skin and coating itself in it.
Because frogs come out in the rain, people used to think that they fell to earth in the rain! And in nineteenth century England, people tried catching them to prove it.
One type of desert frog can wait as long as seven years for water by surrounding itself in a type of transparent bag that becomes its first meal once the rain comes.
Amphibians' eyes come in all shapes and sizes. Some even have square or heart shaped pupils. But amphibians don't see color -- they only see in black or white.
A frog's skin reflects the same amount of ultraviolet light as its immediate surroundings. This way it can protect itself from predators like snakes.
The golden dart frog is the most poisonous frog on earth and the skin of one frog could kill up to 1,000 people.
In recent years, a painkiller with 200 times the power of morphine has been found in the skin of a frog.
Some frogs can survive in conditions well below freezing. The Grey Tree Frog. for example, can survive even though its heart stops. It does this by making its own antifreeze, which stops its body from freezing completely.
The male Darwins Frog takes its mate's eggs into its mouth as soon as they show signs of life and they stay there until they emerge as fully grown froglets.
Frogs cannot live in the sea or any salt water.
There are more than 4,000 types of amphibians in the world, but Europe has very few--only 45 species.
Many of the most brightly colored tropical frogs are colored in this way to warn predators that they are poisonous.
A hibernating frog needs so little oxygen that it breathes through its skin

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