HOP ON IN and enjoy a FROGGY FACT each day of February!
Frogs have been around practically forever!
There is evidence that frogs have roamed the Earth for more than 200 million years, at least as long as the dinosaurs.
That's a BIG frog!
The world's largest frog is the goliath frog of West Africa—it can grow to 15 inches and weigh up to 7 pounds.
How old is that frog?
While the life spans of frogs in the wild are unknown, frogs in captivity have been known to live more than 20 years.
What big eyes you have!
Frogs have excellent night vision and are very sensitive to movement. The bulging eyes of most frogs allow them to see in front, to the sides, and partially behind them.
What's that sound!?
Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords. Male frogs have vocal sacs—pouches of skin that fill with air. These balloons resonate sounds like a megaphone, and some frog sounds can be heard from a mile away.
Froggy leap!
Launched by their long legs, many frogs can leap more than 20 times their body length.
Watch out for this frog!
Many poisonous frogs, such as the golden poison frog and dyeing poison frog, are boldly colored to warn predators of their dangerous toxic skins. Some colorful frogs, such as the Fort Randolph robber frog, have developed the same coloring as a coexisting poisonous species. Although their skins are not toxic, these mimics may gain protection from predators by looking dangerous.
Brr, it's cold in here!
Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperatures change with the temperature of their surroundings. When temperatures drop, some frogs dig burrows underground or in the mud at the bottom of ponds. They hibernate in these burrows until spring, completely still and scarcely breathing.
Protect this frog!
The wood frog can live north of the Arctic Circle, surviving for weeks with 65 percent of its body frozen. This frog uses glucose in its blood as a kind of antifreeze that concentrates in its vital organs, protecting them from damage while the rest of the body freezes solid.
Fresh frogs!
Frogs are freshwater creatures, although some frogs such as the Florida leopard frog are able to live in brackish or nearly completely salt waters.
Oh, baby!
Almost all frogs fertilize the eggs outside of the female's body. The male holds the female around the waist in a mating hug called amplexus. He fertilizes the eggs as the female lays them. Amplexus can last hours or days. One pair of Andean toads stayed in amplexus for four months.
They have hopping in common!
The marsupial frog keeps her eggs in a pouch like a kangaroo. When the eggs hatch into tadpoles, she opens the pouch with her toes and spills them into the water.
Those are handy eyeballs!
When a frog swallows its prey, it blinks, which pushes its eyeballs down on top of the mouth to help push the food down its throat.
An army!
A group of birds is called a flock, a group of cattle is called a herd, but a group of frogs is called an army.
I can see it CLEARLY!
The glass frog has translucent skin, so you can see its internal organs, bones and muscles through its skin. You can even observe its heart beating and its stomach digesting food.
Frog teeth!?
Most frogs have teeth, although usually only on their upper jaw. The teeth are used to hold prey in place until the frog can swallow it.
Is that frog thirsty?
Frogs do not drink like we do; they absorb water directly through their skin in an area known as the 'drinking patch' located on their belly and the underside of their thighs.
Frogs everywhere!
Habitat. Frogs need to be around areas with a water source to reproduce, but other than that, they are found on every continent except Antarctica and in almost every environment. The poison dart frog lives in the tropical forests of Central and South America.
Frog V Toad!
There is no scientific distinction between frogs and toads, according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Frog and toads both belong to the Anura order, but are found in different families. "True toads" make up the Bufonidae family, which includes 580 species.
Frogs and toads do have specific traits that define them, however, according to the Maryland Zoo. For example, frogs are mostly aquatic; most toads live on land (but near water). Frogs have teeth; toads do not. Toads of both sexes have a rudimentary ovary called a bidder's organ. Frogs are also typically longer than toads.
Hungry Frog!
Frogs will often eat any living thing that will fit into their mouths. This includes bugs, spiders, worms, slugs, larvae and even small fish. To catch prey, their sticky tongues will dart from their mouths and pull the prey into the frog's mouth. This movement is so fast often the prey doesn't have a chance to escape. A frog's tongue can snap back into its mouth within 15/100ths of a second.
Watch out!
Amazon horned frogs are ambush predators and aggressively territorial. Some Amazon villagers wear high leather boots to repel attacks, according to National Geographic.
Like a tree!
Every year that a frog goes into hibernation, a new layer of bone forms. You can count these rings to find out the frog’s age.
Gender reveal!
One of the ways you can tell a male frog from a female is by looking at their ears. A frog’s ear is called tympanum and it is located just behind the eye. If the tympanum is larger than the frog’s eye, it is male; if it is smaller, it is female.
Froggy skin!
Did you know that frogs moult? This is the process where they shed their skin. Most frogs moult once a week but some will do it every day! Once the old skin has been pulled off, the frog usually eats it!
Frog eggs
Frogs can lay as many as 4,000 eggs in frogspawn. Frogs lay their eggs in the water, which hatch into tadpoles. Then, the tadpoles undergo metamorphosis to change into frogs as they reach maturity.
Rare species
The tree frog Isthmohyla rivularis is among the rarest animals in the world, spotted just once in the last 25 years and officially categorized as “critically endangered.” But it seems this tiny amphibian has been located again – this time in the foothills of the Turrialba Volcano in central Costa Rica.
The Frogs can do it all!
Among Darwin frogs, it is the male who swallows and stores the developing tadpoles in his vocal sac until juvenile frogs emerge.
Froggy Food Chain
Throughout their lifecycles, frogs have an important place in the food chain as both predators and prey. As tadpoles, they eat algae, helping regulate blooms and reducing the chances of algal contamination. Frogs are an important source of food for a variety of animals, including birds, fish, monkeys and snakes.
The disappearance of frogs can disturb an intricate food web with cascading effects felt throughout an entire ecosystem.
OK, that's all for today! Come back tomorrow for more froggy fun!
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What are you doing down here? Facts are up top! This doesn't go anywhere!
