What is a Frog?
There are around 3,900 species of tailless amphibians, or Anura, also called Salientia, including the frog and toad.
Amphibians
Frogs are members of the zoological class called Amphibia.
Amphibians are cold-blooded (or poikilothermic) vertebrate animals. They differ from reptiles in that they lack scales and generally return to water to breed.
They are one of three types of Amphibians. Anura, also called Salientia, (frogs and toads), caudate (salamanders and newts) and caecilians (worm-like amphibians).
Herps and Herpetology
Amphibians together with reptiles make up a larger group called Herps. The study of reptiles and amphibians is called Herpetology. Herp comes from the Greek word herpeton, which basically means "creepy crawly things that move about on their bellies."
A herptile is an individual herp. A person who keeps and breeds herps is called a herpetoculturist and the hobby is called herpetoculture.
Frogs and Toads
One of the most common questions is, "What is the difference between Frogs and Toads?"
Most are surprised to hear that all Toads actually are Frogs!
Frogs
Generally speaking, though, when we think of frogs, we generally picture what are called "True Frogs"....
members of the family Ranidae, containing more than 400 species.
These frogs have the characteristics of:
* two bulging eyes
* strong, long, webbed hind feet that are adapted for leaping and swimming
* smooth or slimy skin (generally, frogs tend to like moister environments)
* Frogs tend to lay eggs in clusters.
Frogs from this family can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are referred to as the "true frogs" because of their generalized body form and life history: the so-called generic frog.
Members of this family include the bullfrog, common frog, green frog, leopard frog, marsh frog, pickerel frog, and wood frog.
Toads
The term toads tends to refer to "True Toads"....
members of the family Bufonidae, containing more than 300 species.
These types of frogs have are characterized by:
* stubby bodies with short hind legs (for walking instead of hopping)
* warty and dry skin (usually preferring dryer climates)
* paratoid (or poison) glands behind the eyes
* The chest cartilage of toads is different also.
* Toads tend to lay eggs in long chains. (There are some toads (genera Nectophrynoides), however, that are the only types of anurans to bear live young!)
True Toads can be found worldwide except in Australasia, polar regions, Madagascar, and Polynesia, though Bufo marinus has been artificially introduced into Australia and some South Pacific islands.
Besides Bufo, the family includes 25 genera, all of which, like the frogs, are anura!
The physical distinctions, however, can easily get blurred because sometimes the features appear mixed or less obvious, and certain species even legitimately fall into both categories. It is not uncommon, for example, to find a warty skinned frog that isn't a toad, or even a slimy toad! Even the more invisible stuff like cartilage structure has been found to sometimes fit both categories!
Life Cycle of a Frog
True Love?
When Frogs mate, the male frog tends to clasp the female underneath in an embrace called amplexus. He literally climbs on her back, reaches his arms around her "waist", either just in front of the hind legs, just behind the front legs, or even around the head. Amplexus can last several days! Usually, it occurs in the water, though some species, like the bufos on the right mate on land or even in trees!
(photo courtesy of Emile Vandecasteele)
While in some cases, complicated courting behavior occurs before mating, many species of frogs are known for attempting to mate with anything that moves which isn't small enough to eat!
Spawn (egg-mass)
While in the amplexus position, the male frog fertilizes the eggs as they get are laid. Frogs tend to lay eggs single eggs in masses, whereas toads usually lay eggs in long chains.
Some frogs leave after this point, but others stick around to watch over the little ones. Some have very unusual ways of caring for their young. See the Weird Species section to read about their strange ways.
Egg
Frogs and Toads tend to lay many many eggs because there are many hazards between fertalization and full grown frogness! Those eggs that die tend to turn white or opaque. The lucky ones that actually manage to hatch still start out on a journey of many perils.
Life starts right as the central yolk splits in two. It then divides into four, then eight, etc.- until it looks a bit like a rasberry inside a jello cup. Soon, the embryo starts to look more and more like a tadpole, getting longer and moving about in it's egg.
Usually, about 6-21 days (average!) after being fertilized, the egg will hatch. Most eggs are found in calm or static waters, to prevent getting too rumbled about in infancy!
Some frogs, like the Coast foam-nest treefrog, actually mate in treebranches overlooking static bonds and streams. Their egg masses form large cocoon-like foamy masses. The foam sometimes cakes dry in the sun, protecting the inside moisture. When the rain comes along, after developement of 7 to 9 days, the foam drips down, dropping tiny tadpoles into the river or pond below.
Tadpole
Shortly after hatching, the tadpole still feeds on the remaining yolk, which is actually in its gut! The tadpole at this point consists of poorly developed gills, a mouth, and a tail. It's really fragile at this point. They usually will stick themselves to floating weeds or grasses in the water using little sticky organs between its' mouth and belly area. Then, 7 to 10 days after the tadpole has hatched, it will begin to swim around and feed on algae.
After about 4 weeks, the gills start getting grown over by skin, until they eventually disappear. The tadpoles get teeny tiny teeth which help them grate food turning it into soupy oxygenated particles. They have long coiled guts that help them digest as much nutrients from their meadger diets as possible.
By the fourth week, tadpoles can actually be fairly social creatures. Some even interact and school like fish!
Tadpole with legs
After about 6 to 9 weeks, little tiny legs start to sprout. The head becomes more distinct and the body elongates. By now the diet may grow to include larger items like dead insects and even plants.
The arms will begin to bulge where they will eventually pop out, elbow first.
After about 9 weeks, the tadpole looks more like a teeny frog with a really long tail. It is now well on it's way to being almost fullgrown!
Young Frog, or Froglet
By 12 weeks, the tadpole has only a teeny tail stub and looks like a miniature version of the adult frog. Soon, it will leave the water, only to return again to laymore eggs and start the process all over again!
Frog
By between 12 to 16 weeks, depending on water and food supply, the frog has completed the full growth cycle. Some frogs that live in higher altitudes or in colder places might take a whole winter to go through the tadpole stage...others may have unique development stages that vary from your "traditional" tadpole-in-the-water type life cycle: some of these are described in the Weird Species section.
Now these frogs will start the whole process again...finding mates and creating new froggies.
Frogs have variable kinds of eye types. The colored part of the eye is called the iris (EYE-riss). They can be brown, green, silver, red, bronze, and even gold.
The pupils come in all kinds of shapes too!
(2) Round pupils: Some frogs have round pupils just like you and me. Newts and Salamanders also have round pupils.
(2) Vertical pupils: Vertical pupils that look like a cats eye are really good for night vision and respond quickly to changes in light.
(3) Horizontal-Shaped pupils: These are the more common pupil, good for normal day-vision.
(4) Heart-Shaped pupils: I'm not sure if it serves any purpose, but it sure looks neat! Oriental fire-bellied Toads have this type of pupil.
Some frogs have Triangular pupils, and some even have Star-Shaped pupils!
Do Frogs Have Teeth?
Actually, yes!
Most frogs do in fact have teeth of a sort.
They have a ridge of very small cone teeth around the upper edge of the jaw. These are called Maxillary Teeth.
Frogs often also have what are called Vomerine Teeth on the roof of their mouth.
They don't have anything that could be called teeth on their lower jaw, so they usually swallow their food whole. The so-called "teeth" are mainly used to hold the prey and keep it in place till they can get a good grip on it and squash their eyeballs down to swallow their meal.
Toads, however, do NOT have any teeth.
Frogs can hear using big round ears on the sides of their head called a tympanum. Tympanum means drum. The size and distance between the ears depends on the wavelength and frequency of a male frogs call. On some frogs, the ear is very hard to see!
Ever wonder how frogs that can get so LOUD manage not to hurt their own ears? Some frogs make so much noise that they can be heard for miles! How do they keep from blowing out their own eardrums?
Well, actually, frogs have special ears that are connected to their lungs. When they hear noises, not only does the eardrum vibrate, but the lung does too! Scientists think that this special pressure system is what keeps frogs from hurting themselves with their noisy calls!
Frogs have very special skin! They don't just wear it, they drink and breathe through it.
Frogs don't usually swallow water like we do. Instead they absorb most of the moisture they need through their skin.
Not only that, but frogs also rely on getting extra oxygen (in addition to what they get from their lungs) from the water by absorbing it through their skin. Because frogs get oxygen through their skin when it's moist, they need to take care of their skin or they might suffocate. Sometimes you'll find frogs that are slimy. This is because the frog skin secretes a mucus that helps keep it moist. Even with the slimy skin, these frogs need to stay near water. Toads on the other hand have tougher skin that doesn't dry out as fast, so they can live farther from water than most frogs.
In addition to jumping in water, frogs and toads can get moisture from dew, or they can burrow underground into moist soil.
Frogs shed their skin regularly to keep it healthy. Some frogs shed their skin weekly, others as often as every day! This looks pretty yucky...they start to twist and turn and act like they have the hiccups. They do this to stretch themselves out of their old skin! Finally, the frog pulls the skin off over it's head, like a sweater, and then (this is gross) the frog EATS IT!!!! (EEEEEWWW!)
Some frogs, like this Squirrel Treefrog (Hyla squirrela) have vocal pouches that vary in size and stretch like balloons. These sacs serve as a resonating chamber, allowing the frogs to SING!
Male frogs vocalize by squeezing their lungs with their nostrils and mouth shut. Air flows over their vocal chords and into their vocal sacs blowing it up like a bubble gum balloon! (Photo found in Chris Harrison's Photo Gallery)
Other frogs can make noises without such a sac.
(like my Oriental Firebellied Toads - read more about them in the Meet My Pets Page.)
For some species of frogs, only the males sing. Other types of frogs appear to have both male and female calls.
Large frogs have DEEP voices, meaning they call at a low frequency.
Small frogs sing in high chirps, meaning they call at a high frequency.
Cold frogs repeat their calls at a slower rate because the muscles controlling the sounds slow down!
Why do frogs sing? Well...it's actually for a variety of reasons!
Sometimes, frogs sing when they are trying to attract a mate. "HEY! Baby!"
Sometimes, frogs sing to mark their territory. "This is MY Lilypad!"
Sometimes, frogs sing becasue they know the weather is going to change. "Rain!!!"
Sometimes, frogs squeek when they are frightened or hurt. "Ouch! Eek!"
What sound does a frog make in YOUR language? Here is a list of some of the different ways people think frogs sound around the world!
Afrikaans: kwaak-kwaak
Arabic (Algeria): gar gar
Catalan: cruá-cruá
Chinese (Mandarin): guo guo
Dutch: kwak kwak
English (USA): ribbit
English (GB): croak
Finnish: kvak kvak
French: coa-coa
German: quaak, quaak
Hebrew: kwa kwa
Hungarian: bre-ke-ke
Italian: cra cra
Japanese: kerokero
Korean: gae-gool-gae-gool
Russian: kva-kva
Spanish (Spain): cruá-cruá
Spanish (Argentina): berp
Spanish (Peru): croac, croac
Swedish: kvack
Thai: ob ob (with high tone)
Turkish: vrak vrak
Ukrainian: kwa-kwa
How Long Do Frogs Live?
Amazingly, this is the hardest question I've been asked about frogs!
It turns out that very little is known at all about the natural lifespan of frogs. Partially, this is because it's pretty hard to track a frog all its life! (I guess they havent figured out a good way to put little tiny collars around their necks!)
However,some records show that in captivity, many species of frogs and toads can live for surprisingly long times. They seem generally average somewhere between 4 and 15 years!
Recently I ran across a page where people were posting data about how long their species of frogs had lived in captivity.
The longest lifespan entered was a European Common Toad (Bufo bufo ssp.) at 40 years!!!!!
Other species which live to ripe old ages include:
* Giant Toad (Bufo marinus): ranging between 7 and 24 years
* Green And Black Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus): ranging between 7 and 17 years
* Oriental Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis): ranging between 11 and 14 years
* Ornate Horned Frog (Ceratophrys ornata) ranging from 5 to 12 years
If you want to know how long your favorite type of frog might live in captivity, try looking it up in this database of longevity that includes entries by all sorts of amphibian (and repile) breeders: http://www.halcyon.com/slavens/lfrog.html
Frog Enemies!
Frogs have to watch out for all kinds of enemies in the wild. There are a wide variety of frog predators. Animals that eat frogs for snacks include snakes, lizards, birds, and various small animals like hedgehogs. Even under water frogs cant be safe from hungry sharp toothed fish, swimming mammals like water shrews, and even diving birds! As if that wasn't bad enough, frogs even have to watch out for other hungry frogs!
Because there are so many bad guys to watch out for, frogs and toads have come up with a large variety of forms of protection.
The largest enemy that frogs have isn't something as easily adapted to: Pollution!
Frogs are becoming particularly important as factors in measuring the health of the global environment and in tracking how much ultra-violet light gets into our atmosphere. For some years now, it has been noted that worldwide frog populations have been in the decline. Many species are on the verge of extrinction, while others are thriving well. Only recently has this frog population change been linked to not only a decrease in upper atmospheric ozone layer, but also an increase in low-atmosphere ozone due to pollution.
Here's a FACT: Frogs in the environment are a true sign of a well balanced ecosystem!
You can make a difference! Visit Frogland's Save Our Frogs! page to read about our endangered froggy friends.
Toads often have puffy looking pockets called paratoid glands located behind the ear that squirt poison at potential predators. So, if you've ever hear a dog "scream" after picking up an American Toad, now you know what happened!
Although frogs have poisonous skin glands, these toxins do not usually protect them from predatory mammals, birds, and snakes. Edible anurans have to rely on more than just poison glands which tend to work too late (i.e. after the predator has it in his mouth!)
Discuss.
There are around 3,900 species of tailless amphibians, or Anura, also called Salientia, including the frog and toad.
Amphibians
Frogs are members of the zoological class called Amphibia.
Amphibians are cold-blooded (or poikilothermic) vertebrate animals. They differ from reptiles in that they lack scales and generally return to water to breed.
They are one of three types of Amphibians. Anura, also called Salientia, (frogs and toads), caudate (salamanders and newts) and caecilians (worm-like amphibians).
Herps and Herpetology
Amphibians together with reptiles make up a larger group called Herps. The study of reptiles and amphibians is called Herpetology. Herp comes from the Greek word herpeton, which basically means "creepy crawly things that move about on their bellies."
A herptile is an individual herp. A person who keeps and breeds herps is called a herpetoculturist and the hobby is called herpetoculture.
Frogs and Toads
One of the most common questions is, "What is the difference between Frogs and Toads?"
Most are surprised to hear that all Toads actually are Frogs!
Frogs
Generally speaking, though, when we think of frogs, we generally picture what are called "True Frogs"....
members of the family Ranidae, containing more than 400 species.
These frogs have the characteristics of:
* two bulging eyes
* strong, long, webbed hind feet that are adapted for leaping and swimming
* smooth or slimy skin (generally, frogs tend to like moister environments)
* Frogs tend to lay eggs in clusters.
Frogs from this family can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are referred to as the "true frogs" because of their generalized body form and life history: the so-called generic frog.
Members of this family include the bullfrog, common frog, green frog, leopard frog, marsh frog, pickerel frog, and wood frog.
Toads
The term toads tends to refer to "True Toads"....
members of the family Bufonidae, containing more than 300 species.
These types of frogs have are characterized by:
* stubby bodies with short hind legs (for walking instead of hopping)
* warty and dry skin (usually preferring dryer climates)
* paratoid (or poison) glands behind the eyes
* The chest cartilage of toads is different also.
* Toads tend to lay eggs in long chains. (There are some toads (genera Nectophrynoides), however, that are the only types of anurans to bear live young!)
True Toads can be found worldwide except in Australasia, polar regions, Madagascar, and Polynesia, though Bufo marinus has been artificially introduced into Australia and some South Pacific islands.
Besides Bufo, the family includes 25 genera, all of which, like the frogs, are anura!
The physical distinctions, however, can easily get blurred because sometimes the features appear mixed or less obvious, and certain species even legitimately fall into both categories. It is not uncommon, for example, to find a warty skinned frog that isn't a toad, or even a slimy toad! Even the more invisible stuff like cartilage structure has been found to sometimes fit both categories!
Life Cycle of a Frog
True Love?
When Frogs mate, the male frog tends to clasp the female underneath in an embrace called amplexus. He literally climbs on her back, reaches his arms around her "waist", either just in front of the hind legs, just behind the front legs, or even around the head. Amplexus can last several days! Usually, it occurs in the water, though some species, like the bufos on the right mate on land or even in trees!
(photo courtesy of Emile Vandecasteele)
While in some cases, complicated courting behavior occurs before mating, many species of frogs are known for attempting to mate with anything that moves which isn't small enough to eat!
Spawn (egg-mass)
While in the amplexus position, the male frog fertilizes the eggs as they get are laid. Frogs tend to lay eggs single eggs in masses, whereas toads usually lay eggs in long chains.
Some frogs leave after this point, but others stick around to watch over the little ones. Some have very unusual ways of caring for their young. See the Weird Species section to read about their strange ways.
Egg
Frogs and Toads tend to lay many many eggs because there are many hazards between fertalization and full grown frogness! Those eggs that die tend to turn white or opaque. The lucky ones that actually manage to hatch still start out on a journey of many perils.
Life starts right as the central yolk splits in two. It then divides into four, then eight, etc.- until it looks a bit like a rasberry inside a jello cup. Soon, the embryo starts to look more and more like a tadpole, getting longer and moving about in it's egg.
Usually, about 6-21 days (average!) after being fertilized, the egg will hatch. Most eggs are found in calm or static waters, to prevent getting too rumbled about in infancy!
Some frogs, like the Coast foam-nest treefrog, actually mate in treebranches overlooking static bonds and streams. Their egg masses form large cocoon-like foamy masses. The foam sometimes cakes dry in the sun, protecting the inside moisture. When the rain comes along, after developement of 7 to 9 days, the foam drips down, dropping tiny tadpoles into the river or pond below.
Tadpole
Shortly after hatching, the tadpole still feeds on the remaining yolk, which is actually in its gut! The tadpole at this point consists of poorly developed gills, a mouth, and a tail. It's really fragile at this point. They usually will stick themselves to floating weeds or grasses in the water using little sticky organs between its' mouth and belly area. Then, 7 to 10 days after the tadpole has hatched, it will begin to swim around and feed on algae.
After about 4 weeks, the gills start getting grown over by skin, until they eventually disappear. The tadpoles get teeny tiny teeth which help them grate food turning it into soupy oxygenated particles. They have long coiled guts that help them digest as much nutrients from their meadger diets as possible.
By the fourth week, tadpoles can actually be fairly social creatures. Some even interact and school like fish!
Tadpole with legs
After about 6 to 9 weeks, little tiny legs start to sprout. The head becomes more distinct and the body elongates. By now the diet may grow to include larger items like dead insects and even plants.
The arms will begin to bulge where they will eventually pop out, elbow first.
After about 9 weeks, the tadpole looks more like a teeny frog with a really long tail. It is now well on it's way to being almost fullgrown!
Young Frog, or Froglet
By 12 weeks, the tadpole has only a teeny tail stub and looks like a miniature version of the adult frog. Soon, it will leave the water, only to return again to laymore eggs and start the process all over again!
Frog
By between 12 to 16 weeks, depending on water and food supply, the frog has completed the full growth cycle. Some frogs that live in higher altitudes or in colder places might take a whole winter to go through the tadpole stage...others may have unique development stages that vary from your "traditional" tadpole-in-the-water type life cycle: some of these are described in the Weird Species section.
Now these frogs will start the whole process again...finding mates and creating new froggies.
Frogs have variable kinds of eye types. The colored part of the eye is called the iris (EYE-riss). They can be brown, green, silver, red, bronze, and even gold.
The pupils come in all kinds of shapes too!
(2) Round pupils: Some frogs have round pupils just like you and me. Newts and Salamanders also have round pupils.
(2) Vertical pupils: Vertical pupils that look like a cats eye are really good for night vision and respond quickly to changes in light.
(3) Horizontal-Shaped pupils: These are the more common pupil, good for normal day-vision.
(4) Heart-Shaped pupils: I'm not sure if it serves any purpose, but it sure looks neat! Oriental fire-bellied Toads have this type of pupil.
Some frogs have Triangular pupils, and some even have Star-Shaped pupils!
Do Frogs Have Teeth?
Actually, yes!
Most frogs do in fact have teeth of a sort.
They have a ridge of very small cone teeth around the upper edge of the jaw. These are called Maxillary Teeth.
Frogs often also have what are called Vomerine Teeth on the roof of their mouth.
They don't have anything that could be called teeth on their lower jaw, so they usually swallow their food whole. The so-called "teeth" are mainly used to hold the prey and keep it in place till they can get a good grip on it and squash their eyeballs down to swallow their meal.
Toads, however, do NOT have any teeth.
Frogs can hear using big round ears on the sides of their head called a tympanum. Tympanum means drum. The size and distance between the ears depends on the wavelength and frequency of a male frogs call. On some frogs, the ear is very hard to see!
Ever wonder how frogs that can get so LOUD manage not to hurt their own ears? Some frogs make so much noise that they can be heard for miles! How do they keep from blowing out their own eardrums?
Well, actually, frogs have special ears that are connected to their lungs. When they hear noises, not only does the eardrum vibrate, but the lung does too! Scientists think that this special pressure system is what keeps frogs from hurting themselves with their noisy calls!
Frogs have very special skin! They don't just wear it, they drink and breathe through it.
Frogs don't usually swallow water like we do. Instead they absorb most of the moisture they need through their skin.
Not only that, but frogs also rely on getting extra oxygen (in addition to what they get from their lungs) from the water by absorbing it through their skin. Because frogs get oxygen through their skin when it's moist, they need to take care of their skin or they might suffocate. Sometimes you'll find frogs that are slimy. This is because the frog skin secretes a mucus that helps keep it moist. Even with the slimy skin, these frogs need to stay near water. Toads on the other hand have tougher skin that doesn't dry out as fast, so they can live farther from water than most frogs.
In addition to jumping in water, frogs and toads can get moisture from dew, or they can burrow underground into moist soil.
Frogs shed their skin regularly to keep it healthy. Some frogs shed their skin weekly, others as often as every day! This looks pretty yucky...they start to twist and turn and act like they have the hiccups. They do this to stretch themselves out of their old skin! Finally, the frog pulls the skin off over it's head, like a sweater, and then (this is gross) the frog EATS IT!!!! (EEEEEWWW!)
Some frogs, like this Squirrel Treefrog (Hyla squirrela) have vocal pouches that vary in size and stretch like balloons. These sacs serve as a resonating chamber, allowing the frogs to SING!
Male frogs vocalize by squeezing their lungs with their nostrils and mouth shut. Air flows over their vocal chords and into their vocal sacs blowing it up like a bubble gum balloon! (Photo found in Chris Harrison's Photo Gallery)
Other frogs can make noises without such a sac.
(like my Oriental Firebellied Toads - read more about them in the Meet My Pets Page.)
For some species of frogs, only the males sing. Other types of frogs appear to have both male and female calls.
Large frogs have DEEP voices, meaning they call at a low frequency.
Small frogs sing in high chirps, meaning they call at a high frequency.
Cold frogs repeat their calls at a slower rate because the muscles controlling the sounds slow down!
Why do frogs sing? Well...it's actually for a variety of reasons!
Sometimes, frogs sing when they are trying to attract a mate. "HEY! Baby!"
Sometimes, frogs sing to mark their territory. "This is MY Lilypad!"
Sometimes, frogs sing becasue they know the weather is going to change. "Rain!!!"
Sometimes, frogs squeek when they are frightened or hurt. "Ouch! Eek!"
What sound does a frog make in YOUR language? Here is a list of some of the different ways people think frogs sound around the world!
Afrikaans: kwaak-kwaak
Arabic (Algeria): gar gar
Catalan: cruá-cruá
Chinese (Mandarin): guo guo
Dutch: kwak kwak
English (USA): ribbit
English (GB): croak
Finnish: kvak kvak
French: coa-coa
German: quaak, quaak
Hebrew: kwa kwa
Hungarian: bre-ke-ke
Italian: cra cra
Japanese: kerokero
Korean: gae-gool-gae-gool
Russian: kva-kva
Spanish (Spain): cruá-cruá
Spanish (Argentina): berp
Spanish (Peru): croac, croac
Swedish: kvack
Thai: ob ob (with high tone)
Turkish: vrak vrak
Ukrainian: kwa-kwa
How Long Do Frogs Live?
Amazingly, this is the hardest question I've been asked about frogs!
It turns out that very little is known at all about the natural lifespan of frogs. Partially, this is because it's pretty hard to track a frog all its life! (I guess they havent figured out a good way to put little tiny collars around their necks!)
However,some records show that in captivity, many species of frogs and toads can live for surprisingly long times. They seem generally average somewhere between 4 and 15 years!
Recently I ran across a page where people were posting data about how long their species of frogs had lived in captivity.
The longest lifespan entered was a European Common Toad (Bufo bufo ssp.) at 40 years!!!!!
Other species which live to ripe old ages include:
* Giant Toad (Bufo marinus): ranging between 7 and 24 years
* Green And Black Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus): ranging between 7 and 17 years
* Oriental Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis): ranging between 11 and 14 years
* Ornate Horned Frog (Ceratophrys ornata) ranging from 5 to 12 years
If you want to know how long your favorite type of frog might live in captivity, try looking it up in this database of longevity that includes entries by all sorts of amphibian (and repile) breeders: http://www.halcyon.com/slavens/lfrog.html
Frog Enemies!
Frogs have to watch out for all kinds of enemies in the wild. There are a wide variety of frog predators. Animals that eat frogs for snacks include snakes, lizards, birds, and various small animals like hedgehogs. Even under water frogs cant be safe from hungry sharp toothed fish, swimming mammals like water shrews, and even diving birds! As if that wasn't bad enough, frogs even have to watch out for other hungry frogs!
Because there are so many bad guys to watch out for, frogs and toads have come up with a large variety of forms of protection.
The largest enemy that frogs have isn't something as easily adapted to: Pollution!
Frogs are becoming particularly important as factors in measuring the health of the global environment and in tracking how much ultra-violet light gets into our atmosphere. For some years now, it has been noted that worldwide frog populations have been in the decline. Many species are on the verge of extrinction, while others are thriving well. Only recently has this frog population change been linked to not only a decrease in upper atmospheric ozone layer, but also an increase in low-atmosphere ozone due to pollution.
Here's a FACT: Frogs in the environment are a true sign of a well balanced ecosystem!
You can make a difference! Visit Frogland's Save Our Frogs! page to read about our endangered froggy friends.
Toads often have puffy looking pockets called paratoid glands located behind the ear that squirt poison at potential predators. So, if you've ever hear a dog "scream" after picking up an American Toad, now you know what happened!
Although frogs have poisonous skin glands, these toxins do not usually protect them from predatory mammals, birds, and snakes. Edible anurans have to rely on more than just poison glands which tend to work too late (i.e. after the predator has it in his mouth!)
Discuss.
Comment