Frog Facts

We call them ugly, dirty, slimy and slippery…I guess I can just go on and on. But, I do not want to do that, because, I would like to remind you of the frogs that have been an indispensable part of your childhood as well as mine. "The Frog Prince," written by the Brothers Grimm was my first brush with frogs. For the next few days, I thought all frogs were actually princes!! One day Kermit the Frog, the popular frog from "Sesame Street" and "The Muppet Show" found its way into my life through the television in my living room.

Now here are some facts about frogs:

• A frog is an amphibian.
• More than 4,000 types of amphibians exist in this world, out of which only 45 species are found in Europe.
• A frog is cold blooded (poikilothermic).
• Frogs range from 1cm to 30cm in length.
• Frogs are unable to live in the sea or any salt water.
• Frogs are able to lay 4,000 eggs at one time.
• Frogs have webbed feet and long back legs which they use for jumping and swimming.
• Frogs do not need to drink water, as they are able to absorb water through their skin.
• A frog is able to change the color of its skin to match its surroundings.
• The eyes and nose of a frog are located on top of its head. This feature enables it to breathe and see, when most of its body is submerged in water.
• While under water, the frog’s eyes are protected by a transparent eye lid called a nictitating membrane.
• Frogs use their long sticky tongue to capture their food.
• Most frogs eat small insects like flies and cockroaches. The larger ones eat snakes, small mammals, birds and even other frogs.
• The factors that determine a frog’s habitat are rainfall, soil type, places of refuge and calling and egg laying sites.
• Each species of frog is blessed with a unique call, which is used to mark out a territory and attract females of the same species.
• Frog eggs, or spawn undergo a change in body structure and physiology, from the tadpole stage to the adult frog stage.
• Some frogs are able to jump up to 20 times their own body length in a single leap.
• The Scottish highlands house the biggest frog.
• A toad is dry and has warts. It prefers to walk instead of jump.
• Goliath frog (Conraua goliath) from West Africa is the largest known frog with a body length that exceeds 30 cms.
• The smallest frog that is known, is a Brazilian species (Psyllophryne didactyla) that has a maximum length of less than 1 cm.

More information related to frogs:

• Herpetologist is a term that is used for a person who studies toads and frogs.
• Herpetology is used to refer to the study of amphibians and reptiles.
• Batrachophobia refers to the fear of amphibians, like salamanders, frogs and newts.
• Ranidaphobia is the tern used to refer to the fear of frogs.
• Bufonophobia is the term used to refer to the fear of toads.