Frogs are a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless

amphibians composing the order Anura (Ancient Greek an-, without + oura, tail). The
oldest fossil "proto-frog" appeared in the early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular
clock dating suggests their origins may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million
years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but
the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforests. There are
approximately 4,800 recorded species, accounting for over 85% of extant amphibian
species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders.
The body plan of an adult frog is generally characterized by a stout body, protruding
eyes, cleft tongue, limbs folded underneath, and the absence of a tail in adults. Besides
living in fresh water and on dry land, the adults of some species are adapted for living
underground or in trees. The skin of the frog is glandular, with secretions ranging from
distasteful to toxic. Warty species of frog tend to be called toads but the distinction
between frogs and toads is based on informal naming conventions concentrating on
the warts rather than taxonomy or evolutionary history; some toads are more closely
related to frogs than to other toads. Frogs' skins vary in colour from well-camouflaged
dappled brown, grey and green to vivid patterns of bright red or yellow and black to
advertise toxicity and warn off predators.
Frogs typically lay their eggs in water. The eggs hatch into aquatic larvae called
tadpoles that have tails and internal gills. They have highly specialized rasping mouth
parts suitable for herbivorous, omnivorous or planktivorous diets. The life cycle is
completed when they metamorphose into adults. A few species deposit eggs on land
or bypass the tadpole stage. Adult frogs generally have a carnivorous diet consisting of
small invertebrates, but omnivorous species exist and a few feed on fruit. Frogs are
extremely efficient at converting what they eat into body mass. They are an important
food source for predators and part of the food web dynamics of many of the world's
ecosystems. The skin is semi-permeable, making them susceptible to dehydration, so

they either live in moist places or have special adaptations to deal with dry habitats.
Frogs produce a wide range of vocalizations, particularly in their breeding season, and
exhibit many different kinds of complex behaviours to attract mates, to fend off
predators and to generally survive.
Frogs are valued as food by humans and also have many cultural roles in
literature, symbolism and religion. Frog populations have declined significantly since
the 1950s. More than one third of species are considered to be threatened with
extinction and over one hundred and twenty are believed to have become extinct
since the 1980s.[1] The number of malformations among frogs is on the rise and an
emerging fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, has spread around the world. Conservation
biologists are working to understand the causes of these problems and to resolve
them
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..Frogs..
Mom and Dad Frog Decide to Have Baby Frogs

Diagram of the Frog Life Cycle

The life cycle of a frog starts when mom and dad frog fall in love and decide to have
baby frogs. Okay, nobody really knows if frogs fall in love, but it's okay to think that they do.
Mom and dad frog will mate, either in the water or in a tree, depending on what kind of
frogs they are. You know this is happening when you see dad frog hugging mom frog from
behind her. The dad frog will lay on top of mom frog and wrap his front legs around her
body and he will hug her for several days. This hug is called amplexus.

Spawning
While mom and dad frog are hugging, mom frog will lay a bunch of eggs for the dad frog
to fertilize. Unlike human eggs, frog eggs are fertilized by dad frog when they are outside of the
mom frog's body. This is called spawning and is the very beginning of the frog life cycle. After the
mom and dad frog have finished spawning, dad frog leaves, and sometimes the mom frog does,
too. Sometimes mom frog will stick around, though, and wait for the baby frogs to hatch so that
she can care for them, but this only happens with some breeds of frogs, not all of them.

The Frog Eggs

Frog Eggs
Mom frog will lay a whole bunch of eggs because most of them won't hatch. Some of the
eggs will be eaten by other small animals and birds, and some of them won't become fertilized.
Other eggs might become dried up in the sun or get broken in the water. The eggs that survive
will hatch after about 7 to 9 days and begin the frog cycle and start the many life stages of a frog.
But they don't get to be frogs just yet; they have to go through the tadpoles' life cycle first.

The Tadpole
When frog eggs hatch they don't come out as frogs right away, they have to start out as
tiny little fish-like creatures called tadpoles. In the beginning 7 days or so of tadpole development,
a tadpole will eat the egg yolk that is still left in its gut. The only parts to the baby tadpole are
the gills, the tail, and the mouth. After about 7 days of tadpole development, the tadpole will
begin to swim around on its own and eat algae from the top of the water.

Tadpole Development
About four weeks into the tadpoles life cycle it will begin to grow teeth and skin over the
gills and will begin to become social and swim in schools like fish. Then 6 to 9 weeks into the
tadpoles development it will begin to grow longer and develop a little bit of a head and some
legs. At the end of the 9 weeks, the tadpole will look more like a frog than a fish, but with a long
tail. The tadpole will also start to eat things like tiny insects.
In areas of the world that have cold winter months or that are in very high altitudes, which also
are sometimes very cold places, the tadpoles life cycle takes all winter long to complete.

Frog Metamorphosis

Diagram of the Frog Life Cycle

From 9 to about 12 weeks, the frog metamorphosis starts to really take shape. The tadpole
that looks like an itty bitty frog but with a long tail (called a Froglet) will lose most of its tail, grow
a frog tongue, and start to really look like a baby frog. The whole frog life cycle model is
completed after about 16 weeks when the frog becomes an adult.
Diagram of Frog Life Cycle
If you wanted to draw a diagram of frog life cycle, you might make it look like a circle, starting
with eggs, and then the baby tadpole. Then you would add legs to the baby tadpole and call
that a 'Froglet'. Then draw a full grown frog, which points back to the eggs because the life
cycle of a frog doesn't end with the full grown frog. The full grown frog will find a frog to love
and to make more baby frogs with and begin the frog life cycle all over again.

What's the difference in a toad and frog life cycle?

Actually, toads are frogs. Toads are just called something different because they look a little
different, but they are all part of the frog family. Lots of people want to know what the
difference is between a toad life cycle and a frog life cycle. Mostly it's the way that the eggs are
laid and the way that the skin develops. The frog eggs are laid in clumps and toad eggs are laid
out in strands or lines. The skin of a frog will develop into slimy skin and the skin of a toad will
develop into warty skin, which is why people think that toads can give you warts. But if toads
can give you warts, why don't frogs make you slimy?

Grow a Frog

Giant Bullfrog Tadpoles

So, if you were going to grow a frog, where would you start? Would you start with a
tadpole or with an egg? I bet you said egg. But remember that most of the eggs wont live, so
how do you know that you have a living egg? Maybe starting with a tadpole would give you better
luck when you are trying to grow a frog. Or, maybe you should start with a mom and a dad frog.
But then you might grow a hundred frogs and they would take over your whole room and turn
your walls green and sing you to sleep every night croaking Okay, thats another story! Start with
a tadpole and you will be able to watch the whole, very cool, frog metamorphosis.

METAMORPHOSIS: The Lifecycle of a Frog

Metamorphosis is the change of shape during an animals life. During
metamorphosis the tadpole will develop back legs first, then front legs. Around 6
weeks of life the mouth starts to widen. Sometime around 10 weeks the froglets, as
it is now called, eyes start to bulge out and the tail begins to shrink and eventually
disappear. When the lungs finish developing the froglet makes its way onto the land
and, Ta-da! Its a frog!

Frog eggs floating in a pond: these clusters of floating

eggs are called "egg masses".
Frogs lay up to 4,000 eggs at one time!

Tadpoles hatch from the eggs and live in the pond.

The tadpoles turn into Froglets. The body shrinks and

legs form.

The Froglet's tail shrinks, the lungs develop and the back
legs grow and then we have a Frog.
Amphibians must shed their skin as they grow. Usually
the shed skin is eaten. Yum!

FOOD
Frogs and toads are carnivores, which means that they will eat meat. Small to medium
sized frogs eat insects such as flies, mosquitoes, moths and dragonflies. Larger frogs
will eat larger insects like grasshoppers and worms.
Some large frogs will even eat small snakes, mice, baby turtles, and even other smaller
frogs! Most frogs will starve before they eat a dead insect or animal.

Frog after a cricket

WHAT'S WITH THAT TONGUE?

Frogs tongues are attached to the front of their
mouths rather than at the back like
humans. When a frog catches an insect it throws
its sticky tongue out of its mouth and wraps it
around its prey. The frogs tongue then snaps
back and throws the food down its throat.

CHARACTERISTICS
Frogs have very good eyesight. They bulge out the sides of their heads in order for the
frog to see in nearly all directions. Frogs also have amazing sense of hearing. You can
often tell the difference between a male and female frog by the size of their eardrum,
which can be seen behind their eyes. If the eardrum is smaller than the eye, the frog is a
female. On males their eardrum is the same size as the eye.
Frogs have very powerful back legs and webbed feet that help them jump great
distances, as well as, swim. Frogs even use their legs to dig, or burrow, underground for
hibernating. Certain frogs can jump up to 20 times their own body length in a single leap.
Every different species of frog has his or her own look. They come in many colors,
patterns and sizes.

PREDATORS
Frogs have many predators. Animal predators include birds, fish and reptiles.
Most rainforest frogs have pads of sticky hairs on their fingers and toes, as well as, loose
sticky skin on their bellies, that make them great climbers to escape their predators.
Many of these frogs live in high trees for safety.
Other frogs are very good at camouflaging themselves so that they blend in with their
environment, making it harder for their enemies to find them. A frog can change the
colour of its skin depending on its surroundings.
Humans have become a major danger for amphibians of all types. Water pollution is
causing many deformities in frogs as well as poisoning them, and loss of habitat through
the building of roads and houses. In some countries, frogs legs are considered a
delicacy, which means that people love to eat them! Eew!

FROGS vs. TOADS

Many people dont know the difference between frogs and toads. They are quite
different animals, although they belong to the same animal group.

FROGS
Need to live near water
Have smooth, moist skin that makes
them look slimy.
Have a narrow body
Have higher, rounder, bulgier eyes
Have longer hind legs
Take long high jumps
Have many predators

TOADS
Do not need to live near water to survive
Have rough, dry, bumpy skin

Have a wider body

Have lower, football shaped eyes
Have shorter, less powerful hind legs
Will run or take small hops rather than jump
Do not have many predators
Toads skin lets out a bitter taste and smell
that burns the eyes and nostrils of its
predators, much like a skunk does.
And neither frogs nor toads will give you warts! That is just a myth.

DO ALL FROGS SOUND THE SAME?

frog sounds No!
Every different species of frog makes its own special sound and it is only the male frog
that can croak. They have a small sac in their throats that vibrates the air as they slowly
let it out.
The sounds that frogs make are not what youd expect. Did you know that there are
frogs that chirp? Others can whistle, croak, ribbit, peep, cluck, bark and grunt.
If you would like to know more there are some websites that have frog sounds you can
listen to online:

THE DATING GAME

When male frogs are ready to mate they will call out to the female frogs. Each different
species of frog has their own special sound and that is the sound that the same species of
female frog will answer to. Some frogs are so loud they can be heard a mile away! After
they meet, they find a suitable spot to mate and lay their eggs.
The male frog will hug the female from behind and as she lays eggs, usually in the water,
the male will fertilize them. After that the eggs are on their own, to survive and become
tadpoles. There are a few species of frogs that will look after their babies, but not many.

FROGS AND FAIRYTALES

The idea that frogs can change into people is very popular in many cultures. The most
famous story is that of the Frog Prince.
The story is simple: A frog woos a princess and asks for a kiss. At first the princess is
frightened and disgusted, but she feels sorry for the poor frog and kisses him. Suddenly,
the frog is transformed into a handsome prince, and the prince and princess are married,
living happily ever after. Interestingly enough, this story has many early variations that are
reversed. The frog or toad is a girl, and a young man must take the chance in order to
discover a beautiful princess or bride.

INTERESTING FACTS
Did you know that a group of frogs is called an army? (A group of toads is called a knot.)
- Frogs dont drink water they absorb it through their skin.
- Frog bones form a ring when the frog is hibernating, just like trees do. Scientists can
use these rings to figure out the age of a frog

FROG SPECIES
There are many different species of frogs. They are found in almost every climate and
all over the world except for Antarctica. Here are some examples:
Darwins frog, Goliath frog, Northern Leopard frog, ornate Horned frog
Poison Dart Frog, Tree frog and Wood frog etc.
Toad species : Common midwiffe Toad and Eupean Fire-bellied Toad etc.

DARWIN'S FROG
Darwin's frog was named after Charles Darwin, who discovered it on his world voyage.
This frog lives in the cool forest streams of South America, mostly in Argentina and Chile.
What makes this frog interesting? The way it takes care of its tadpoles! The female lays
the eggs, about 30 of them, and then the male guards them for about 2 weeks. The
male picks up all the survivors and carries around the developing young in his vocal
pouch. Thats rightin his throat! The tadpoles finish developing in the chin skin. When
they are tiny froglets they hop out and swim away!

GOLIATH FROG
The goliath is the world's biggest frog with a body length of about one foot and weighing
approximately 7 pounds! These frogs live in Western Africa along fast moving rivers that
run through the rainforest.
Not only is the Goliath frog losing its habitat to ranchers & farmers, but because of its
super-large size it is popular with zoos and animal collectors. They are on the endanger
species list.

POISON DART FROG

Poison Dart frogs live in rainforest habitats in Central and South America. They can be
found in trees, as well as under leaves and logs and rocks on the floor of the forest.
Because of their size, from 1/2 to 2 inches long, they are hard to see. Poison frogs warn
predators with brilliant colors and patterns. There are many species of poison frogs that
can be found in every color under the sun! They prey on invertebrates, especially certain
ant species, which build up really strong poisons in the frog.

WOOD FROG
The North American wood frog lives in many areas around the world but is one of the few frogs
that can be found in Alaska and above the Arctic Circle. Because the summers, are so short this
frog develops from tadpole to frog extra fast.
Wood frogs belong to a small group of animals that can freeze but not die. As the temperature
drops below freezing each winter, the wood frog buries itself and goes into a deep hibernation,
its breathing and heartbeat stop, and as much as 65% of the water in its body gradually turns
into ice. Sound uncomfortable? The wood frog doesnt seem to mind. It spends two or three
months of each winter frozen, with its body temperature ranging between -1C and -6C. When
spring finally arrives, the ice melts, heartbeat and breathing return, and the frog is as good as new!
And guess what the first thing they do when they unfreeze is. Look for a mate! With the summers
being so short they dont have much time!
Scientists are very interested in studying this frog and its ability to freeze. Maybe in the future
they will be able to do the same with people waiting for a transplant. Just pop them in the
freezer until a heart comes available. Brrr!
Wood Frog - Human impact
Leanne Guenther
This wood frog fell (jumped) into a swimming pool in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. The chemicals in
the pool basically bleached the poor fellow (frogs absorb water through their skin). I'm not sure
if he lived or died after his ordeal, but he wasn't looking too healthy when we left him.

Common Midwife Toad

The common midwife toad is found in Europe.
The special thing about them is how they deal with their eggs -- the female frog lays the eggs
on the male in a string. The male wraps the string around his legs and keeps them with him,
guarding them from predators until they hatch. Way to go dad!!
As soon as the eggs are ready to hatch, the male enters the water and allows the tadpoles to
swim away -- at which point his job is done.
When a midwife toad is threatened, it fills itself with air, puffing up as big as it can. It may also
push itself up on all four legs, standing as tall as possible. For the midwife toad in danger,
bigger is better!

-------------------------------