Frogs are fascinating creatures.
A frog is an amphibian that is known for its leaping ability, noisy croaking, bulging eyes, and slimy appearance.
They are one of the most diversified animals on the planet, with over 6,000 species that live all over the world.
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Frog Facts for Kids:
- Frogs are amphibians.
- They can be found near water but prefer ponds, lakes, and marshes
- You will not find any in Antarctica.
- They lay eggs called Frog Spawn.
- Their eggs hatch into tadpoles.
- A group of frogs is called an army.
- They are carnivorous
- They catch their prey with their tongues.
- They don’t drink water they absorb it directly through their skin.
- Some hibernate in oxygen-rich water and lie on top of the mud all winter.
- They breathe much like a human, taking air through their nostrils and into their lungs.
Types of Frogs
Red Eyed Tree Frog
A Red-eyed Tree Frog is part of the Hylidae family of reptiles. This species has been found in parts of Mexico, and Central America. It inhabits lowland tropical rainforests.
Deforestation and climate change are two major problems threatening red-eyed tree frogs in the wild. In the wild, the red-eyed tree frog population is still healthy.
They are not endangered at present
Female Red-Eyed Tree Frogs can grow to be 3-4 cm in length and males 2 cm.
Their unique features include bulging red eyes, mixed green body, and orange toes.
The bright colors are to be viewed as a powerful defense system. These frogs blend in well with tree leaves.
If a predator notices a sleeping frog and suspects that it could be a delicious meal, it swoops in.
However, the frog’s eyes open, revealing their stunning bright red color can really frighten away predators.
Poison Dart Frog
The poison dart frog lives in the rainforests of Central and South America. You’ll find them in trees, under fallen leaves, old logs, and rocks in the forest.
Since they are between 1/2 to 2 inches, they are hard to see sometimes
Poison frogs use an array of bright colors and colorful patterns to visually warn predators. The poison frog comes in many varieties and colors.
Frogs prey on invertebrates, especially ants, who can help accumulate lethal poisons inside of the frog.
Leopard Frog
A leopard frog can grow up to about 11 centimeters in length. They have brown spots arranged roundly on the back, sides, and legs of their bodies.
Spots also usually have a yellow or whitish border around them.
Along the back, there is a distinguishable, white dorso-lateral fold that gradually stretches from each eye. The base of the neck is white. The topside is green.
Females are larger than males and are found throughout most of North America.
They can grow up to 10 centimeters from rump to nose.
Like most frogs, they are Carnivore (meat-eater). They eat small birds, beetles, flies, worms, and smaller frogs.
Green Frog
A common species of amphibian in North America is the Green Frog.
The green frog varies in color from green, brown, yellowish green, olive, and rare examples even blue.
Their fronts are usually brighter with small, random black spots.
Dark bands run down their legs, and the skin beneath the bands is yellowish or white.
The males usually have an incredibly brightly yellow-colored throat.
Most adults are between three and five inches long. Typically, most are less than an ounce.
There are many kinds of habitats where this species can be found. Their habitat includes lakes, swamps, streams, riverbanks, bogs, and marshes.
Pickerel Frog
The Pickerel Frog is generally somewhat larger than a regular frog and can reach lengths of between 1 ½ – 4 inches.
Between its light-colored belly and its dorsolateral folds are two rows of dark-square spots on its back. Dark green-brown spots appear on top of the background color.
We usually find the species near rivers, lakes, ponds, bogs, and swamps with cool, clear water.
In summer, they are abundant in meadows
They eat invertebrates, such as insects and spiders, that live in or near water.
To protect themselves from predators, they generate a bad-tasting toxic secretion.
Wood Frog
Wood frogs have a wide range of colors, with females generally more colorful than males. These amphibians are 1.5 to 3.25 inches (3.8 to 8.2 centimeters) in length.
This species of frog has become accustomed to living in cold environmental conditions by freezing in the winter.
These animals belong to a small group that can freeze without dying.
In wintertime, as temperatures drop below freezing, wood frogs bury themselves, their breathing stops, and up to 65% of their body becomes ice.
That doesn’t seem to bother the wood frog.
During the winter, it spends two or three months frozen.
As soon as the ice melts, the frog’s heartbeat and breathing return, and he’s back to his old self.
The mature wood frog may be preyed upon by various herbivores, such as skunks and raccoons.
Common Frog
These are regulars in garden ponds and help to eliminate slugs and snails. It will hibernate in mud ponds or under piles of logs in winter.
During the spring, they breed in ponds, spending the rest of the year mostly feeding in woodlands, gardens, hedgerows, and tussocky grasslands.
Generally, common frogs range in color from green to brown, red, and yellow.
Typically, the skin is smooth, and it has a dark ‘mask’ behind the eye. Its back legs are long, and there are dark bands on them.
This creature hops and jumps rather than walking and lays all its tiny eggs in large jellylike clumps.
What are tadpoles?
Frogs lay their eggs in the water. The eggs hatch and become fish-like creatures called tadpoles.
The tadpoles breathe through gills and have long tails. The tadpole will live in the water until it slowly changes into a frog.
When an environment has a good quantity of frogs it is a way to measure whether the area is not only healthy but well-balanced.
How do Frogs Breathe?
Frogs breathe in two ways: they breathe like us through their nostrils but they also get the other half of their air through their skin.
A frog’s tongue is not attached to the back of its mouth, like a human tongue.
It is attached to the front where it can extend its tongue out further and make use of the sticky coating to catch its food.
How do Frogs Eat?
Frogs have an odd way of swallowing food; they actually use their eyes as part of the process.
When they blink, it pushes their eyeballs down to create a bulge in the mouth roof.
This bulge puts pressure and helps to squeeze the food in their mouth down and through to the back of their throat.
What Predators do Frogs Have?
Animal predators include birds, fish, and reptiles.
Humans pose a threat to amphibians of all kinds.
Many frogs are being deformed and poisoned, and habitat is being destroyed through the building of new roads and buildings.
In some countries, frog legs are a delicacy. Eew!
Some frogs have a coating on their skin to help protect them from predators.
The coating is often poisonous and many tribal cultures use the coating to put on spear tips for battle.
What’s the difference between Frogs and Toads
The animals, although in the very same animal family, are quite different.
Frogs:
Living near water is a necessity.
Feels “slimy” because of their smooth, moist skin.
Have a slim body
Their eyes are higher, rounder, and bulgier
Legs longer in the hindquarters
Take long high leaps and jumps
Have a lot of predators
Toads:
No need to live near water to survive
Have hard, bumpy, and dry skin
Have a much wider body compared to a frog
Have different shaped eye compared to a frog
Legs that are shorter and less powerful
The number of predators is quite low.
The toad burns its predators’ eyes and nostrils with its bitter taste and smell.
What is an amphibian?
Frogs are amphibians, which means they can exist on both land and in the water.
Fun Frog Facts
Once a week a frog will shed its skin completely. It will pull the skin off of its body and usually eats it.
The typical pond frog takes three years to develop to maturity and then it is ready to breed.
In the wild, frogs are considered prey/food by many animals and do not survive very long.
Frogs have the ability to see in different directions at the same time: forward, upwards and sideways.
Frogs sleep with their eyes open; they never have their eyes closed during their life.
They get their names from hunters who would tip their arrows in the poison. They are threatened by the destruction of rainforests for farming and ranching.
Because of the pet-shop market, the Blue Poison Dart Frog is most endangered.
