Portal:Frogs

The Frogs Portal

Various kinds of frog

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, not from 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. 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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Cyprus water frog (Pelophylax cypriensis)

True frogs is the common name for the frog family Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Africa (including Madagascar), and Asia. The Asian range extends across the East Indies to New Guinea and a single species, the Australian wood frog (Hylarana daemelii), has spread into the far north of Australia.

Typically, true frogs are smooth and moist-skinned, with large, powerful legs and extensively webbed feet. The true frogs vary greatly in size, ranging from small—such as the wood frog (Lithobates sylvatica)—to large. (Full article...)

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

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Did you know?

... that the New England tree frog and the Davies' tree frog (pictured) are threatened by the introduction of exotic fish such as trout into the streams in which they breed?
... that the Central American frog Duellmanohyla soralia is critically endangered and its population decline is due, at least in part, to the fungal disease chytridiomycosis?
... that during dry weather, the Texas toad remains dormant?
...that although the tiny Hochstetters frog of New Zealand has no tail, it has atavistic tail-wagging muscles?
... that, after the female Jog night frog has laid a clutch of eggs, both parents are involved in guarding them?