Portal:Frogs

The Frogs Portal

Various types of frog

Afrog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek ἀνούρα, literally 'without tail'). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" Triadobatrachus is known from the Early TriassicofMadagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their split from other amphibians may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropicstosubarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforest. Frogs account for around 88% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. Warty frog species tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal, not from taxonomy or evolutionary history.

An adult frog has 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. Adult frogs live in fresh water and on dry land; some species are adapted for living underground or in trees.

Frogs typically lay their eggs in the 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, omnivorousorplanktivorous 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 plant matter. Frog skin has a rich microbiome which is important to their health. 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 behaviors to attract mates, to fend off predators and to generally survive. (Full article...)

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The meowing night frog (Nyctibatrachus poocha) is one of 12 species of frogs in the genus Nyctibatrachus discovered in September 2011. It is found primarily in the Western Ghats, India. The team, composed of researchers from the Bombay Natural History Society, Zoological Survey of India and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, led by herpetologist Sathyabhama Das Biju of the University of Delhi, used morphological traits and molecular markers to identify the 12 new species and three others which were thought to have been extinct. The meowing night frog is named for its distinct cat-like call.

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

Did you know?

• ... that the eggs of the horned marsupial frog are the largest to be laid by any known amphibian?

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Amphibians	Paleontology
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