Frogs belong to amphibians, or amphibians. They are poikilothermic (cold-blooded) animals with an unstable internal body temperature that varies depending on environment. The frog family is numerous. It includes more than 500 species. It is believed that the homeland of frogs is the eastern hemisphere, and more specifically, Africa. The most species of frogs are found there. Representatives of this family can be found almost anywhere globe, excluding arctic snow, Australia and some areas of South America. The sizes of frogs vary greatly - from 1 to 32 cm. Their color can also be different - from brown, inconspicuous to extremely bright.
Frogs feed on small insects, but sometimes they can eat their own relatives. For hunting, they have a long sticky tongue, with which they knock down dragonflies, midges and other flying creatures in flight.
Frogs are close relatives of toads and toads. All of them form a detachment of tailless amphibians, which is opposed by a second large detachment - tailed amphibians (newts and salamanders).
Many species of frogs have special poisonous glands in their skin that produce poisonous mucus. It causes respiratory paralysis in those who try to attack the frog. In other cases, not even a large number of mucus on the skin leads to ulcers and burns.
Frogs have cells in their skin that allow them to change the color of their skin so as not to stand out from the surrounding vegetation. This helps them escape from enemies. Frog skin is very sensitive to sunlight, but at the same time it is not a necessary organ for this amphibian. This is evidenced by the fact that a frog without skin continues to live. Periodically, the frog molts, shedding its old skin, which it immediately eats.
The lungs of a frog, unlike other living creatures, are not used at all to extract oxygen from the air, but to make sounds, which we call croaking, which is produced using sound bubbles in the throat. For better “singing”, frogs also have a pair of resonators. They look like a pair of bags swelling on the sides of the head. Only males “sing” to attract a female.
Frogs lay eggs. Its quantity is amazing! Some species can lay up to 20 thousand eggs at a time. Its frogs lay in water. They often do this in large groups. Frog eggs form large clumps, which in grass and pond frogs contain several hundred eggs. Developing from an egg into an adult, frogs go through a stage of transformation: tailed tadpoles that breathe through gills emerge from the eggs. Gradually they grow first hind limbs, then the front ones. Finally, the rudder tail disappears, and the little frog is ready for life on the shore. Tadpoles hatch after 7-10 days. After 4 months, they become small frogs. At 3 years old they become sexually mature.
If European frogs are rarely larger than 10 cm, then North America lives a bullfrog, reaching a length of 20 cm. And the record holder among frogs is the goliath frog living in Africa - its total length is 90 cm, and it can weigh up to 6 kg!
The African tree frog is a champion jumper. With the help of its long and strong hind legs, it can jump 5 m in length.
The African burrowing frog lives in Africa. It can grow up to 25 cm long and weigh up to 2 kg. She lives a long time - up to 25 years. Its large mouth is equipped with sharp and large teeth, with which it grabs its prey - other frogs, small rodents, snakes, lizards, etc. When trying to grab it, it can bite. The hind limbs of this frog are very strong. She needs them to dig deep holes in which she spends time during drought.
An interesting species of frog lives in Borneo. There are membranes stretched between her fingers. With their help, she can glide in the air like a flying squirrel.
All these species belong to the family of true frogs. In addition to them, there are frogs with such exotic names as long-fingered, banana, grasping, Congolese five-lined, hairy, horned. Most of them live in Africa.
The edible frog (Rana kl. esculenta) belongs to the family True frogs, order Tailless amphibians. Coloring - top part green, gray-green or green-yellow with an unclear dark spotted pattern; the belly is light, usually with dark spots. The male is up to 9 cm long, the female is up to 11 cm.
The edible frog appeared in Central Europe after the last one ice age as a result of crossing a lake frog with a pond frog. Offspring of two edible frogs not viable, therefore the only way for them, to continue their race means to mate with a pond frog. Edible frogs are often found together with their parent species in their habitats - in forests, swamps, parks and gardens rich in vegetation.
The pond frog (Rana lessonae) belongs to the family True frogs, order Tailless amphibians. Coloring - the upper part is grass-green or yellow-green, sometimes blue-green, with dark spots. Body length 5-10 cm; the muzzle is sharper than that of the lake frog. The male differs from the female by the presence of paired resonators behind the corners of the mouth and dark nuptial calluses on the first toe of the forelegs; The inner calcaneal tubercle is large. It feeds on insects, small crustaceans, worms, tadpoles, frogs and young lizards.
Pond frogs overwinter in water, less often on land in earthen burrows that they dig themselves. They appear on reservoirs from the end of March. During the mating season from late April to early June, males often gather in groups in shallow water, where they make a loud chorus croak - "arr-arr-arr-kwa-kwa". Males at this time are colored yellow, their irises are also golden yellow. Females lay about 4,000 eggs in shallow water. Tadpoles appear after 7 days; development into a frog after 3-4 months.
Active day and night, pond frogs become sexually mature in most cases after the second winter. Pond frogs live on average 10 years, although not many manage to live to that age due to their enemies - snakes, water birds and predatory fish.
The lake frog (Rana ridibunda) belongs to the family True frogs, order Tailless amphibians. This is the largest domestic frog with a body length of up to 12 cm (males) or up to 17 cm (females). Coloring - olive-brownish, grass-green or dark brown above, in most cases with rather large, unevenly shaped, black or dark brown spots; belly with marble pattern; the first finger is very long; The inner calcaneal tubercle is small and flat. Habitat - from the Rhine to the Baltic in the north, upstream the Ural River in the east, to Mesopotamia and Iran in the south.
Lake frogs are always found in or near bodies of water, inhabiting a wide variety of types of bodies of water, including large, deep, fast-flowing rivers. Lake frogs are active mainly during the day, but also at night. Rhythm daily activity changes with age and during the season, stopping when the water temperature drops to +6-9 °C. They spend the winter in the bottom mud. Calls made during the mating period by males who gather in large groups, sound like a loud, abrupt yelp. Large balls of eggs, formed by gluing the mucous membranes of the eggs, are attached to aquatic plants. During the peak of metamorphosis, large tadpoles, due to lack of nutrition, partially switch to feeding on the young of their species - they eat eggs and larvae.
The grass frog (Rana temporaria) belongs to the family True frogs, order Tailless amphibians. Body length 7-9 cm, maximum 11 cm; It is a clumsy brown frog with a short, blunt snout. The color of the upper body is from dark brown to reddish with dark stripes; the belly is white or grayish with a dark marble-like pattern. The hind limbs are shorter in relation to the body than those of a frog (if the hind leg is extended forward along the body, the ankle joint usually reaches the level of the eye).
Along with the gray toad, the most common amphibian in Europe, found in the mountains up to an altitude of 2500 m. Absent only in a number of areas of the Iberian and Apennine peninsulas, as well as on the Balkans and islands Mediterranean Sea. Feeds mainly on insects, snails and earthworms.
Reproduction in March-early June. As amphibians that spawn early, grass frogs often travel to their spawning grounds as early as late February, with many females carrying smaller males on their backs. Mating begins on the way to the spawning reservoirs. For spawning, animals look for small ponds, ditches and puddles. In grass frogs, large balls with eggs consist of 700-4500 eggs, which, with sufficient depth of water, sink to the bottom; older balls of eggs often float on the surface of the water.
grass frog
| Magnitude | Body length up to 10 cm |
| Signs | Brown upperparts with dark spots; dark spots on the edges of the head |
| Nutrition | Mainly insects, snails and earthworms |
| Reproduction | Lays eggs from late February to April; the female lays 2000-4000 eggs in the form of large clumps in ditches, large puddles and ponds; approximately 2-4 months after this, the formed small frogs come ashore |
| Habitats | Only in winter and spring do frogs live in small ponds and puddles; the rest of the year - in swampy places, wet meadows, fields and parks, sometimes at a great distance from water; in the mountains they are found up to an altitude of 2500 m; distributed throughout the northern and middle lane Europe and Asia |
The sharp-faced frog (Rana arvalis) belongs to the family True frogs, order Tailless amphibians. Body length 5-6 cm. Coloring - brown or olive-gray above with dark spots and dots; belly white or yellowish; Unlike the grass frog, the front part of the head is sharp. During the mating season, males are colored light blue or bluish-violet, often with a wide light stripe on the back.
Inhabits large areas of Central, Northern and of Eastern Europe, as well as in western Asia; absent from Great Britain, Ireland, most of France, the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Switzerland and the Balkans.
Frogs are sharp-faced and prefer river valleys, swamps, floodplain forests and ponds on the plains, but are also found in the mountains. They arrive at the spawning reservoir early (from early March to early May). Females, having spawned, immediately go to land, males remain in the water (up to several weeks). Males gathered to breed on a pond form large clusters in shallow areas of the reservoir and make sounds reminiscent of gurgling water from a bottle.
A polyphonic choir sounds in the evenings in the tropical forest. These are thousands of tiny dart frogs serenading the rising moon. Their multi-colored bodies seem to be carved from precious stones by a skilled craftsman. Poison dart frogs spend their entire lives among branches and foliage. When the time comes to spawn, they choose plants that have accumulated in the axils of the leaves. rainwater. Most often these are various bromeliads. Above such a “pond” the frog hangs several eggs, wrapping them in a rich foam cocoon. Soon the tadpoles will break through the soft shell and fall straight into the water.
But such a body of water may not be a safe cradle at all. If there is a predator lurking at the very bottom, the newborn tadpoles will have no chance to survive. However, even without such “neighbors” there are still many dangers. Severe storm a tree can fall down - and the small “pond” with all its inhabitants will die.
pond frog
| Magnitude | Body length 7-10 cm; V in rare cases up to 12 cm |
| Signs | The body color is bright green, there is a light stripe along the back, a number of black spots; yellow and dark spots on the upper part of the hind legs; there is never a dark spot typical of a grass frog on the temples |
| Nutrition | Insects, small crustaceans, worms, tadpoles, frogs and young lizards |
| Reproduction | Mating in May; lays lumps of eggs in the water; the female lays 5-10 thousand eggs; tadpoles - after 7 days; development into a frog after 3-4 months |
| Habitats | Almost all small and large bodies of water with an abundance of aquatic and coastal plants; from lowlands to mountains medium height; from Europe to the Volga |
Frogs belong to the largest detachment amphibians - tailless. There are thousands of varieties, this issue contains 10 of the strangest and most unusual.
The rainbow frog is an object of worship in India. Hundreds of people flock to Reji Kumar's house in India every day to pray and ask for miracles. The frog was shimmering white when Reggie, from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala in southern India, first saw it. Then it glowed yellow and then turned gray. A frog that constantly changes color is considered a god in India.
Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum - Also called the glass frog or transparent frog due to its transparent skin through which its insides can be seen. Unfortunately, this is an endangered amphibian species.
The harlequin frog is known by many names, such as the clown frog or the Costa Rican harlequin toad. Whatever you call it, it is a neo-tropical frog that used to be a fairly common species in Costa Rica and Panama. Now this species is listed in the Red Book; frogs of this species live today mainly in Panama.
The northern leopard frog is considered an unusual species, reaching a length of up to 9 cm. The colors on its back range from brown to dark green, and the round spots are distinguished by a white line.
It is believed that the higher the geographic altitude, the larger the animal living there. However, the smallest frog in the world lives precisely at altitude - in the Andes of southern Peru at an altitude of 3 - 3.19 meters.
The paint dart frog, like this blue subspecies, is the common name for a group of frogs in the poison dart frog family, which is native to Central and South America. Unlike most frogs, this species is active during the day and almost always has brightly colored bodies. Although all dart frogs are poisonous to some extent, levels of poison vary depending on the subspecies and population. Many subspecies are in danger of extinction. American Indians used their poison for their arrows and darts. (Gail Shumway/Getty images 2007)
The Goliath frog is the largest surviving species of toad on Earth. Its dimensions reach 33 cm in length from the muzzle to the cloaca, and it weighs up to 3 kg. This species lives mainly in West Africa, near Gabon. The Goliath frog can live up to 15 years. They feed on scorpions, insects and small frogs. These frogs have excellent hearing, but do not have a vocal resonator.
Theloderma corticale, or Vietnamese marsh frog, is a species of frog in the copepod family. It can be found in Vietnam and possibly China. Usually lives in tropical and subtropical wet forests, intermittent freshwater swamps and rocky areas. The frog is also often called the moss frog due to the fact that its skin resembles moss growing on a rock, which, incidentally, provides it with excellent camouflage. Some people keep such a frog at home. The price of this miracle is approximately 45-75 dollars.
As the name suggests, the Mantella frog is red/orange in color. These are small frogs, reaching a length of up to 2.5 cm. They live in Madagascar.
This horned frog can grow up to 15 cm in length and is native to Uruguay, Brazil, and northern Argentina. Although this hulk looks like a cake (or a pincushion, if you prefer), it reacts very quickly when a lizard, small rodent, frog or bird flies by.
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Frogs are a very large group of tailless amphibians; this word often means any amphibian without a tail. But from a scientific point of view, it would be correct to use this word only for representatives of the family of true frogs: amphibians from other families usually have different names (toads, tree frogs, dart frogs, etc.). There are 555 species of true frogs in the world, and their closest relatives are representatives of the copepod family, of which there are 230 species.
Sardinian disc-tongue frog (Discoglossus sardus).
In general, frogs have a body structure typical of tailless amphibians: a large head, a wide toothless mouth, bulging eyes, and long hind limbs. Swimming membranes are located between the toes of the front and hind paws, and there is no tail. In general, these animals look more graceful and thin-bodied compared to toads; in some species, the dorsal side of the body has a characteristic kink (“hump”), by which frogs can be unmistakably distinguished from toads.
The leopard frog (Rana pipiens) has a characteristic kink in its back.
At the same time, different types of frogs differ greatly in structural details. For example, copepods have a flattened body, as if crushed, but piglet frogs, on the contrary, look bloated.
Chocolate white copepod (Nyctixalus pictus).
In some species the snout is oblong, in others it is rounded and looks blunt, and in Darwin's rhinoderma it is generally elongated into a pointed proboscis.
Hairy frog (Astylosternus robustus).
The toes of real frogs have small, prehensile claws; copepods have suction cups. This structure of their paws brings them closer to poison dart frogs and tree frogs. A hairy frog whose thighs are covered with... fur looks very unusual. Of course, this fur is not real wool, but an accumulation of thin skin outgrowths that improve gas exchange. The ability to breathe through the skin is inherent not only in hairy frogs, but also in all other frogs, although to a somewhat lesser extent.
Like all amphibians, the skin of these amphibians is thin and constantly moist due to the mucus secreted. The composition of mucus is species-specific and differs greatly in chemical properties at different types. In all frogs, mucus performs a protective function, as it contains bactericidal substances that kill pathogens. In some species it can also be conditionally toxic (unpleasant to the taste for predators), but real frogs are not deadly poisonous (this is typical of other amphibians - dart frogs). By the way, modern research tropical species frogs have shown that their mucus can be used to produce antibiotics.
Spotted piglet frog (Hemisus guttatus).
Most often, frogs have a protective color - brown, gray, green, with faint spots and streaks that perfectly camouflage them among the greenery, in the thickness of silt or fallen leaves. But among them there are also very vibrant views. For example, the tomato frog is bright orange or red in color. This coloring is not accidental, because this species is classified as conditionally toxic. The mucus of the tomato frog is irritating and very sticky; there are cases where a snake that attacked this frog had its jaws stuck together.
Tomato frog, or tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii).
But the glory of the tomato frog pales in comparison with even more amazing creatures- glass frogs. This genus of frogs has several species, which have one thing in common: amazing property— the skin of their abdomen is completely transparent!
The belly of the dotted gecko frog (Centrolene prosoblepon) is visible through the transparent skin of the abdomen. internal organs and ripening caviar.
The sizes of these amphibians vary widely: most species have a body length of 7-15 cm, the smallest frog is the Cuban whistler, or Cuban dwarf, which reaches only 8.5-11.8 mm, and the smallest close-up view- a goliath frog up to 32 cm long. The average weight of a goliath frog is 3-3.5 kg, but specimens up to 6 kg are known!
The goliath frog (Conraua goliath) is used as food in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Due to widespread extermination, it has become very rare.
Males are always 1.5-2 times smaller than females; in addition, they can be brighter in color and have special resonator sacs for producing sound signals.
Frogs can be found on all continents except Antarctica: in Europe, for example, their range reaches the Arctic Circle, and they are also found on remote oceanic islands (Hawaiian, Seychelles, etc.). They live in a wide variety of landscapes: on the banks of fresh water bodies (rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps), in forests, mountains, partly in the tundra and deserts. Moreover, frogs living in tropical forests, can live in the litter or on tree branches and are not attached to bodies of water, as they make do with moisture from the soil or that accumulated in the leaves of plants. Frogs living on the banks of reservoirs spend part of their time on land (for hunting), and part of their time in the reservoir (for rest and protection from enemies). Different species of frogs have different peaks of daily activity: some species are active primarily at night, others are active throughout the day to approximately equal degrees.
Frogs are solitary animals without social connections. For the most part, they live sedentary lives, but during the mating season they can make short migrations to bodies of water for spawning. Species living in the temperate zone hibernate during the winter. To do this, amphibians hide in rodent holes, piles of fallen leaves, or lie at the bottom of reservoirs. Frogs hibernate, depending on their habitat, in September-October, and wake up in March-April (in the tundra in May).
The pond or edible frog (Rana esculenta) simultaneously hunts and hides. Frozen motionless in anticipation of prey, it remains invisible to predators thanks to its camouflage green coloration.
Typically, frogs sit motionless, looking for prey. By the way, their brain is designed in such a way that it picks up signals only from moving objects, so these animals spend a lot of time in ambush, waiting for flying insects. Seeing prey, the frog throws out a long sticky tongue, and, if necessary, makes a jump towards the prey. Compared to toads, frogs are much more mobile; they move in fast jumps up to 3 m long! Copepod frogs that live in trees, thanks to the suction cups on their legs, can stay on vertical surfaces and... fly! It was not for nothing that they were called copepods, because these animals have especially wide membranes between their toes, with the help of which they glide from tree to tree.
Frogs and toads are probably the most common amphibians on our planet. They are so diverse that we didn’t even suspect the existence of some.
Very poisonous, even one touch causes allergic reaction. Male Panamanian frogs make a whistle and a loud, long-lasting sound that can be heard throughout the forest. An interesting thing is that frogs communicate with each other using the semaphore system - a system of gestures and touches. It is believed that this species of frog developed this unusual form of communication due to the loud noise in the reservoirs. To attract attention, frogs wave or raise their paws.
One of the largest representatives of the amphibian world. The frog reaches an average length of 20 cm, and average weight- half a kilogram. But there are real giants - in 1949, in the US state of Washington, a fish weighing 3 kg 250 grams was caught. An interesting fact is that the bullfrog is one of the top ten on Earth.
Extremely poison frog. The Indians of Peru and Ecuador catch dart frogs and dip their arrows in their poison. Fertilized eggs are laid in moist soil. When tadpoles are born, they are attached to the male's back and he carries the babies to trees, where water collects in leaves and flowers. The male dart frog guards the pools with tadpoles, the female feeds them with unfertilized eggs.
Razor-faced frog or marsh frog- the back is light brown, olive in color. From the eyes and almost to the shoulders there is a dark stripe, which narrows towards the end. The muzzle is pointed. It seems like an inconspicuous frog, but... but during mating season she turns blue.
normal state
during the mating season
Hairy frog- from the name it is clear that the frog has unusual appearance. During the breeding season, the body of males is covered with patches of skin, like hair. The hairy amphibian is distinguished not only by its bizarre appearance, but also the ability to release “claws” like a cat. In times of danger, the bones on her fingers pierce the skin and form peculiar claws.
Paradoxical frog. Lives in South America. The adult specimen does not differ in anything peculiar - small in size - about 6 cm, green in color. But the tadpole of the paradoxical frog grows up to 25 cm in length.
Scutopum, also known as . It has an unusual body shape - it is perfectly round. At the moment of danger, it takes in air and becomes spherical, while straightening its legs, puffing its lips and making loud, frightening sounds. Tadpoles practice cannibalism - they eat each other.
Vietnamese mossy frog or lichen copepod- the owner of the most camouflage skin among frogs. It almost completely merges with external environment, even her eyes seem camouflaged among the moss.
It has not only a bizarre appearance, but also an unusual way of raising offspring. The female lays eggs in a puddle, but when the embryos begin to move, the male swallows them. The eggs with tadpoles are located in a special pouch in the male’s throat. When the offspring grows up and is ready for independent life, the baby frogs begin to jump in the male’s throat, after which he spits them out.
Nosoha toad or big-nosed toad- eater of ants and termites. Outwardly, it is very similar to a mole, and just like a mole, it spends almost its entire life underground and digs tunnels. The long-nosed toad's tunnels and burrows lead to anthills and termite mounds - the frog's only food source.
Frogs (Rana) is a common and widespread name that unites a whole group of animals that belong to the order Tailless amphibians. In a broad sense, this term is applicable to any representatives belonging to the order Tailless, and in a narrow sense, the name applies only to the family of True frogs.
Description of frogs
Absolutely any representatives of frogs are distinguished by the absence of a pronounced neck, and the head of such amphibious animals seems to merge with a short and fairly wide body. The complete absence of a tail in frogs is reflected directly in the name of the order, which unites all amphibians. It should be noted that frogs have simply unique vision, so they do not close their eyes during sleep, and are also able to simultaneously look forward, up and to the side.
Appearance
The frog has a large and flat head, on the side of which there are bulging eyes. Along with other land vertebrates, frogs have upper and lower eyelids. Under the lower eyelid of the amphibian, a nictitating membrane is found, which is called the “third eyelid”. Behind the eyes of an amphibian there is a special area covered with thin skin called the eardrum. Two nostrils with special valves are located above a huge mouth with small teeth.
The frog's front legs are characterized by the presence of four rather short toes. The hind legs of the animal are strong and well developed, equipped with five fingers, the space between which is covered with a specially leathery membrane. There are no claws on the animal's fingers. The only excretory part is located in the posterior region of the frog's body and is represented by the so-called cloacal opening. The frog's body is covered with bare skin, quite thickly lubricated with special mucus, which is abundantly secreted by the animal's numerous special subcutaneous glands.
This is interesting! The size of frogs depends on the species, so European frogs most often do not exceed one decimeter, and African goliath frogs are a kind of record holder in terms of size, therefore, with a half-meter size, they weigh several kilograms.
The size of an adult frog varies noticeably depending on the species, but most often varies between 0.8-32 cm. Color skin is also very diverse and can be represented by brownish, yellow, green or unusual variegated coloring. Many members of the family prefer to camouflage themselves with herbaceous vegetation, foliage or branches, and therefore have characteristic green, gray and grayish-green skin.
War coloring, as a rule, indicates that the frog is poisonous, which is explained by the presence of special glands on the skin that produce substances that are toxic and harmful to human or animal health. Some frogs easily mimic, imitating dangerous amphibians to escape from enemies.
Character and lifestyle
Frogs are able to move perfectly on land, as well as make huge jumps, climb the crowns of tall trees and dig underground holes. Some species are characterized by the ability not only to swim perfectly, but also to run, walk, quickly climb trees, and even easily glide from a height.
K very interesting features frogs include the absorption of oxygen through the skin. This process is quite successfully carried out on land or in water, due to which the animal belongs to the category of amphibians. However, European grass frogs, which are very widely known in our country, approach water bodies only during the period of active reproduction.
This is interesting! The activity levels of different species and subspecies are very different, so some of these amphibians prefer to hunt exclusively at night, but there are bright representatives who remain tireless twenty-four hours a day.
An interesting fact is that frogs need lungs in order to make rather loud and peculiar sounds called croaking. Sound bubbles and resonators help the amphibian produce the widest range of sounds, which is most often used to attract the opposite sex during the breeding season.
Periodically, adult frogs shed their skin, which is not an organ necessary for the life of an amphibian animal, and then eat it in anticipation of the growth of new skin. According to their lifestyle, all true frogs are sedentary loners, prone to short-term migration over short distances only during the breeding season. Species that live in temperate zones hibernate with the onset of winter.
How long do frogs live
Unique animals that are very prominent representatives from the order Tailless amphibians, have different durations life. Its definition in natural conditions carried out by the method of skeletochronology, which allows you to correctly assess the individual growth rate and the onset of puberty.
This is interesting! According to scientists, a significant part of frog species live in nature for no more than ten years, but numerous observations have shown that certain species and subspecies have life cycle, amounting to thirty years.
Sexual dimorphism
Permanent and seasonal sexual dimorphism is a characteristic characteristic of many amphibians, including some species of frogs. Some poison dart frogs are characterized by enlargement of the finger pads of males, which is used by the amphibians when tapping on the ground and helps to actively attract females. Males of some species are distinguished by greatly enlarged eardrums. Seasonal dimorphism is caused by the presence of so-called gonadotropic hormones in the animal’s body.
This is interesting! There are types with visual inspection which it is impossible to determine their gender in accordance with only one characteristic, therefore it is necessary to compare several morphological characteristics at once.
One of the most striking and pronounced sexual characteristics that are characteristic of male frogs is the formation of nuptial pads as a response to changes in the hormonal levels of the testes.
In the frog, such pads are formed on the lower part of the forelimbs, on the fingers and near the mouth, due to which all mature males remain in a mated state with the female even when there is strong movement of water or attack by other animals.
Types of frogs
Today there are more than 550 species of amphibians called frogs. The True frogs family is represented by several subfamilies: African forest frogs, disk-toed and toad frogs, dwarf and true frogs, as well as shield-toed frogs.
Many species are incredibly popular among connoisseurs of indoor amphibians and are kept as exotic pets. Most interesting views presented:
- Dominican tree frog;
- Australian tree frog;
- some poison dart frogs or;
- smooth clawed frog or aibolit frog;
- red-eyed tree frog;
- lake frog;
- sharp-faced frog;
- spadefoot.
To the very unusual species frogs currently include transparent or glass frog, cocoy poison frog, hairy and flying frogs, bullfrog, as well as clown frog and sharp-nosed tree frog.
This is interesting! Species may have significant differences in structure. For example, copepods have a flattened, as if crushed, body, while piglet frogs, on the contrary, have a swollen body.
Range, habitats
Vertebrates have become widespread in almost all countries and continents, and are also found even in arctic snow conditions. But frogs give preference to tropical forest areas, where there is simply a huge variety of species and subspecies of such amphibians. Frogs primarily inhabit fresh water bodies.
True frogs are members of the family Anura amphibians, which are almost universally distributed, with the exception of South America, southern Australia and New Zealand. Our country is inhabited mainly by the grass frog (Rana temporaria) and pond frog(Rana esculenta).
It should be remembered that the distribution of some subspecies and species of frogs may well be limited by natural causes, including rivers, mountain ranges and deserts, as well as man-made factors represented by highways and canals.
In tropical conditions, the diversity of amphibian species is much greater than in zones characterized by cold or temperate climate. Selected species and subspecies of frogs are able to live even in salt waters or in the Arctic Circle.
Diet of frogs
Insectivorous frogs belong to the category of predatory animals. Such amphibians with great pleasure eat a large number of mosquitoes, as well as all kinds of butterflies and small invertebrate animals. Particularly large adult insectivorous individuals do not disdain prey that is even more impressive in size, which can be represented by some species of animal frogs and relatively small relatives of their own.
This is interesting! Frogs of many species bring great benefits to people. They actively destroy and eat many worms, bugs and insects that are harmful and dangerous to humans and plants.
Hunting for their victims is carried out by frogs using sticky and fairly long tongue, which deftly catches midges, dragonflies, moths and other winged creatures directly in flight. Among the currently existing species and subspecies of frogs, omnivorous amphibians are also known, which happily use fruits or berries for food.
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