Frogs and Toads

The Latin word for frogs is Salientia, which means leaping when you translate it. The basic definition for frogs and toads is this: "frogs are leaping, tailless amphibians with smooth skin; toads are leaping, tailless amphibians which have rough warty skin."

There is a true family of toads but people in general only call toads those things which live on land and only return to the water to reproduce…you know they can be found in your garden or under your flower pots sometimes, it depends on what kind of a yard you have. Frogs on the other hand, like to live in the water; you can find a lot of different types of frogs in North America and in South America. One type of frog that is usually very pretty and interesting is the tree frog.

The largest frog in the world can be found in Africa, this giant weighs up to 7 pounds and can reach a length of up to a foot long, not counting the length of its legs - if you add those in to the equation then you would have a frog that was three feet long! Can you believe that? It is amazing!
One thing about frogs is the fact that they have excellent camouflage, most frogs and toads can even change their color slightly. The skin of a frog is moist and slippery to the touch where on the other hand the skin of the toad is dry. They also have mucus glands under the skin which covers the skin in a protective layer of slime, in some species of frogs and toads this mucus layer is poisonous.

Frogs and toads both have serous glands which produce toxin that secretes through the skin, the potency of the toxin they have varies from species to species. This is a very effective defense against predators, causing irritation in the predators mouth, sometimes this poison even leads to the predator’s death. One thing it is not effective against is the snake, no protection there.

Maybe the most famous group of frogs are the arrow-poison frogs that can be found in South America, they live in the forests and have an extremely potent toxin that they produce. Local Indian tribes gather these frogs and after piercing the head and body of the frog they put him over an open fire: the heat from the flame contracts the skin forcing the toxin to come out. You can get 50 poisonous arrows out of the body of just one little frog. The Arrows are then used in hunting, the poison is so potent that is paralyzes the animals almost immediately…these frogs are so poisonous that only one ounce could kill three million people!

Almost all frogs and toad go back to water to have their babies. Each male of every species has its own mating call that helps the female locate him among all the other species around. She lays the eggs during the night or early in the morning. When she lays the eggs they get fertilized by the male. Some types of toad lay their eggs one at a time but most just string them all out over plants and things that are in the water. Frogs like to lay their eggs in one big cluster which is then anchored to something under the water.

After about 9 days the tadpole hatches out and starts his life. At first, he just clings to the plant hoping that no predators will see him until the egg yolk is all used up, then he will use his newly grown tail to propel him to the bottom and he will start to eat for the first time. Eventually growing up and starting the process all over again.

It is truly amazing how God has made and provided for the animals on our planet, not only do the frogs and toads help keep the insect population down but they also provide food and nourishment for many other kinds of animals. God has provided for them all. Just the intricate detail and the obvious eye for beauty and detail is enough to make any honest person admit the fact that we have a wonderful Creator…none of it could have happened by chance.