Frog's Page

Introduction/ Breif History

Amphibians live the larval part of their lives in water and their adult lives partially, or completely on land. They are cold blooded and do not have scales.

Frogs and Toads have thin, moist skin, which they can breathe through, absorb moisure through and lose water from.

Their skin is covered with fluid-secreting glands that produce a slimy mucus. This mucus serves several purposes. Like: it helps to conserve moisture, prevents too much water from being absorbed into the body when the animal is in water, and makes the animal slippery, which aids in its defense. Some frogs have toxic producing glands, that serve as protection from preditors.

The tongues of Toads and Frogs have long tongues with sticky tips that they can stick out very quickly to capture small insects. They do not have any teeth; instead, they use their strong jaws to crush their prey and then swallow it whole.

Reproduction

Male frogs and toads call females to breeding sites with distinctive calls that each species make. Most species mate in the water; the male grasps the female from the back, and as she release the eggs, he fertilizes them. The eggs will then usually attach to vegetation in the water.

Eggs hatch into the larval form of tadpoles. The newly hatched tadpoles won't have eyelids, a true jaw, legs, and lungs. It will, though, have a long tail with a high fin. They breathe through external gills and feed on vegetation.

They go through a series of physical changes called metamorphosis. The tadpole will soon develope eyelids and jaws; and rear and front legs. After awile the tail will be absorbed and internal lungs will develop. The metamorposis from tadpole to adult frog/ toad usually takes a few weeks to three years, depending on the species.

Feeding

Most amp. are insect eaters. Depending on the size and species, the will also consume earthworms, small birds, and small rodents.

Tadpoles start out eating vegetation, aquatic plant life, algae, and also dead animals.

In an aquarium habitat, tadpoles can be fed bits of dog, cat, or rabbit food pellets, another option can be baby food.

Adult frogs + toads should be fed insects. Such as: crickets, mealworms, bee moths, earthworms, and night crawlers; which can be bought at pet and bait stores. Other options are: flies, grasshoppers, and other insects can be collected in an open field, backyard, along a road, etc.

Frog + Amphibian Links

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