Portal:Frogs

The Frogs Portal

Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas)

A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek ἀνούρα, literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough skin texture due to wart-like parotoid glands tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal and purely cosmetic, and does not reflect taxonomy or evolutionary history.

Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforest and associated wetlands. They account for around 88% of extant amphibian species, and are one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. The oldest fossil "proto-frog" Triadobatrachus is known from the Early Triassic of Madagascar (250 million years ago), but molecular clock dating suggests their divergence from other amphibians may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago.

Adult frogs have a stout body, protruding eyes, anteriorly-attached tongue, limbs folded underneath, and no tail (the "tail" of tailed frogs is an extension of the male cloaca). Frogs have glandular skin, with secretions ranging from distasteful to toxic. Their skin varies in colour from well-camouflaged dappled brown, grey and green, to vivid patterns of bright red or yellow and black to show toxicity and ward off predators (aposematism). Adult frogs live in both fresh water and on dry land; some species are adapted for living underground or in trees. As their skin is semi-permeable, making them susceptible to dehydration, they either live in moist niches or have special adaptations to deal with drier habitats. Frogs produce a wide range of vocalisations, particularly in their breeding season, and exhibit many different kinds of complex behaviors to attract mates, to fend off predators and to generally survive. (Full article...)

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Adult male

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a species of large frog in the family Ranidae (true frogs). The species is native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, ponds, and lakes. The bullfrog can also be found in manmade habitats such as pools, koi ponds, canals, ditches, reservoirs and culverts. The bullfrog gets its common name from the sound the male makes during the breeding season, which sounds similar to a bull bellowing. It is a generalist carnivore, consuming a wide variety of prey. In turn, it is eaten by predators such as alligators, snakes, and birds.

The bullfrog is large and is commonly eaten by humans throughout its range, especially in the southern United States where it is plentiful. Its use as a food source has led to the bullfrog being introduced outside of its native range. The bullfrog has been introduced in more than 40 countries and many continents including the Western United States, the Caribbean, South America, Western Europe, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and more. In these places it is considered an invasive species due to its voracious appetite and the large number of eggs it produces, which has a negative effect on native amphibians, certain insects and other fauna. The bullfrog is very skittish, which can make its capture difficult, and thus it often becomes established. (Full article...)

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description

Photograph of the Italian tree frog Hyla intermedia. Its natural habitats are the temperate forests, rivers, and freshwater marshes of countries like Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland. It feeds on small invertebrates such as flies, mosquitoes and midges. In the breeding season, dominant males establish territories near a pond or other body of water and advertise themselves by calling. Other male frogs, known as "satellites" may lurk nearby and try to intercept females attracted by the territorial males' calls.
Photo credit: Benny Trapp

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General images

The following are images from various frog-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Entre ciel et terre, by Gustave Doré, 1862 (from Frogs in culture)
Image 2European treefrog (Hyla arborea) (from Tree frog)
Image 3Frog pictured in the coat of arms of Baloži (from Frogs in culture)
Image 4Black torrent frog
Micrixalus saxicola
Ranidae
India (from Torrent frog)
Image 5Torrent treefrog
Litoria nannotis
Hylidae
Australia (from Torrent frog)
Image 6Vietnamese folk painting "Lão oa giảng độc" (from Toad)
Image 7Wallace's flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) (from Flying frog)
Image 8Vietnamese folk painting "Nhân nghĩa" (from Toad)
Image 9Malabar tree toad, Pedostibes tuberculosus, Hyperoliidae, India (from Tree frog)
Image 10Dead Frog with Flies by Ambrosius Bosschaert II, c. 1630 (from Frogs in culture)
Image 11Ascaphus montanus tadpole (supine position), showing the large oral sucker (from Tailed frog)
Image 12Detail of Josiah Wedgwood's Frog Service, 1773–4, made for Catherine the Great of Russia (from Frogs in culture)
Image 13Gladiator treefrog (Hypsiboas rosenbergi), Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica (from Tree frog)
Image 14"My Old Friend Dr. Frog". Promotional postcard for "Frog In Your Throat" Company throat medicine (from Frogs in culture)
Image 15Gray tree frog, Hyla versicolor, Hylidae, eastern North America (from Tree frog)
Image 16American green tree frog, Dryophytes cinereus or Hyla cinerea, Hylidae, central and southeastern United States (from Tree frog)
Image 17Early Dynastic (c. 3000 BC) frog statuette) (from Frogs in culture)
Image 18Wrestling frogs from Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga, cartoon, Japan, 12th century (from Frogs in culture)
Image 19American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) (from True toad)
Image 20Roman lamp mount shaped like a frog. (from Frogs in culture)
Image 21Eungella torrent frog
Taudactylus eungellensis
Myobatrachidae
Australia (from Torrent frog)
Image 22Frog and Mouse by Getsuju, a Japanese artist of the Edo period (from Frogs in culture)
Image 23White-lipped bright-eyed frog, Boophis albilabris, Mantellidae, Madagascar (from Tree frog)
Image 24Moche frog, 200 AD (from Frogs in culture)
Image 25Old Dutch tile from Friesland (from Frogs in culture)
Image 26Crapaud et Grenouille ("Frog and Toad") by Jean Carriès, between 1889 and 1894 (from Frogs in culture)
Image 27Powdered glass frog, Cochranella pulverata, Centrolenidae, Honduras to Ecuador (from Tree frog)
Image 28Common tree frog, Polypedates leucomystax, Rhacophoridae, southern to eastern Asia (from Tree frog)
Image 29Hermenegildo Bustos, Still life with fruit, 1874 (from Frogs in culture)
Image 30Red-eyed treefrog, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica (from Tree frog)
Image 31Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee 2016 (from Frog jumping contest)
Image 32Big-eyed tree frog, Leptopelis vermiculatus, Hyperoliidae, Tanzania (from Tree frog)
Image 33A limestone carving of a frog was found at Tell es-Sakan, an Egyptian settlement in Palestine. The frog dates to the last third of the 4th millennium BCE. (from Frogs in culture)
Image 34A frog being eaten by King Stork, an illustration by Milo Winter in a 1919 Aesop anthology (from Frogs in culture)
Image 35Freddo Frog advertisement, 1930 (from Frogs in culture)
Image 36Common toad, female and male on her back. (from True toad)

Did you know?

... that larvae of the toadfly make their way through the nostrils of the common toad (affected toad pictured) and eat its flesh?
... that female Stefania evansi frogs can carry up to 30 eggs or froglets on their back?
... that Woodhouse's toad (pictured) seems to be displacing the Arizona toad in central Arizona?
... that the Italian pool frog (pictured) has been introduced into the United Kingdom?
... that the call of the Sonoran green toad is said to resemble "the buzzer on an electric alarm clock"?