The frogs associated with each man with a loud croak and warm season belong to tailless - the largest squad of amphibians. The habitat of some individuals is exclusively land, other species of frogs recognize habitat only in water, some - both. There are also tree frogs living on trees and capable of planning at a distance of up to 15 meters.
The most comfortable for amphibian representatives are places with increased dampness - moist forests, meadows, swamps, and shores of freshwater reservoirs. Almost every corner of the earth is inhabited by these big-eyed creatures, of which there are more than 5, 000 species on the planet. The highest density is recorded in the tropical zone. Many nature lovers have always been curious: what kind of frog is it? What does it eat? Where does he live?
The external description of the frog
Frogs are characterized by a short body. The absence of a neck as such allows the tailless animal to only slightly tilt its head, in the upper part of which are two bulging eyes and nostrils. What does a frog eat in a pond? What lifestyle does it lead? And why often blinks? The frog's organs of vision are protected for centuries: the upper - leathery - and the lower - transparent and mobile. Private blinking, characteristic of them, is due to protection from drying out of the surface of the eyes, which are moistened with moist skin of the eyelids. This feature is caused by the terrestrial frog lifestyle. For comparison, fish - permanent residents of a humid environment - have no eyelids, so they do not blink at all. The visual feature of frogs is their ability to simultaneously see everything that happens in front, at the top and side. Moreover, never, even during sleep, they do not close their eyes for a long time.
Outside, behind each eye, there is an outer ear, covered in skin - the eardrum. The internal organ of the hearing of the frog is located directly in the skull.
Frog Skin Properties
The green frog breathes air through the lungs, which are poorly developed, and the skin, which is of great importance in the respiratory process. For this type of amphibian, an absolutely dry environment is fatal, as it causes drying of the skin and certain death as a result of this. In the aquatic environment, the frog passes entirely to the skin breathing.
Our ancestors believed that frog skin has bactericidal properties, so they threw these animals into milk so that it would not sour. By the way, the frog does not drink at all, and water from the external environment enters its body with food and through the skin, which, due to skin secretions of the mucous consistency, is constantly wet. Based on the foregoing, questions arise: "What distinguishes an ordinary frog from the rest of the fauna? What eats? How does it prey on prey?"
The frog has well-formed limbs, each of which consists of three main departments, interlinked using movable joints. In the forelegs, this is the shoulder, forearm and hand, ending with 4 fingers (the fifth is underdeveloped). The back consists of a foot with 5 fingers connected by swimming membranes, lower leg and thigh. The hind legs, which play the main role in movement, are several times stronger and longer than the front, while the front limbs serve as a kind of softening shock absorbers when jumping.
The body temperature of an amphibian directly depends on the temperature of the environment, rising in warm time and falling in cold. Like fish, frogs are cold-blooded animals. Therefore, when cooling, they lose activity and tend to take refuge in a warmer place, and in winter hibernate.
Frog: what eats
The diet of these tailless is quite extensive and consists of individuals surrounding it. Therefore, through logical thinking and careful observation, you can understand what the frog eats in the pond. These are mainly bugs, mosquitoes, flies, spiders, worms, snails, caterpillars, small crustaceans and sometimes fry of small fishes.
Some of the victims have a hard shell, which the frog copes with with the help of teeth. Frogs hunt exclusively for mobile prey, sitting in a secluded place and patiently waiting for a future lunch. Having noticed a potential victim, the hunter immediately throws a long, wide tongue out of her mouth, to which she sticks.
Frog: species
Tailless amphibians are divided into three species: frogs, toads and tree frogs.
Frogs are characterized by smooth, slightly tuberous skin, swimming membranes on the hind limbs and teeth located on the upper jaw. The most respectable representative of this species is the goliath frog, which mainly lives in West Africa. Its length is up to 1 meter, and weight - about 3 kg. Impressive sizes! Such a frog strikes the eye. What eats such a large individual, capable of jumping to a distance of 3 meters? The goliath frog eats its small brothers, spiders and scorpions and is able to live up to 15 years. Her lack of voice resonator is offset by excellent hearing.
The size of the smallest frogs living in Cuba is from 8.5 to 12 mm.
Pond frog
In the central regions of Europe, the most common pond green frog, which differs from its counterparts except perhaps by its smaller size.
The abdomen, devoid of spots, has a white or yellowish color, the color of the back is gray-green or bright green. Favorite habitat - small ponds with stagnant water and near-water flora. It prefers daily life, feels comfortable both on land and in water, which allows it to equally consume oxygen through the skin and lungs. He uses fast jumps to move on land, trying to hide from danger in a pond. They usually come out of hibernation in April-May when the external temperature is 12 ° C and the water temperature is 10 ° C.
at the beginning of awakening, their activity is low, after two to three weeks, as the water warms up, reproduction begins in the reservoir. One female can lay up to 3000 eggs, of which frog larva develops during the week. The full cycle of its transformation into an adult is about 2 months.
Frog life in nature
The frog's tadpole feeds on microscopic algae, a little later - on insect larvae. Frogs reach puberty in the third year of life. Their life expectancy in natural conditions reaches 6-12 years. With the onset of cooling, the frogs go for the winter, preferring to bury in silt. Sometimes they can hide on land, for example, in a burrow of rodents. For example, grass frogs spend the winter on the bottom of ice-free reservoirs, at the source of streams and rivers, gathering in tens and hundreds of individuals. The witty frog for wintering picks cracks in the earth's crust.
Toads and tree frogs: differences
Toads are characterized by a lack of teeth and tuberous skin that is darker and drier than a frog. The largest individual in the world - the toad-aga - is also one of the most poisonous among its brethren.
Its weight can reach 2 kg. The smallest toad has a length of 2.4 cm. Representatives of this species prefer to live on land, going down to the water only during the mating season.
Tree frogs are the smallest representatives of the three described species of frogs. They differ from the others by the presence of extended disks on their fingers, helping them to climb up. Some species can fly, which helps them escape from enemies.
