Rana temporaria - amphibian class, genus and family of frog, tailless order. Translated into Russian - a grass frog. Habitat - steppes, forest-steppes, shores of water bodies, forests, wet marshy places. The life expectancy of an amphibian is quite large, in nature - about 5 years, in captivity - can reach 15-18 years.
Grass Frog Description
There are three subspecies of the grass frog: Rana temporaria parvipalmata, Rana temporaria honnorati, Rana temporaria temporaria. They differ only in habitat and color. The grass frog has a squat body, the length of which can reach 10 cm. The average amphibian weight is about 22.5 g. Of course, there are larger individuals, whose weight reaches 30 g, but in nature they are very rare. The color of the back varies depending on the habitat. Above, the grass frog can be gray, olive or reddish-brick in color. A distinctive feature of the amphibian is a clearly visible dark brown triangle near the eardrum. There are small (1-3 mm) dark spots on the sides and back of the frog. On the dark abdomen there is a marble-like pattern. The grass frog, as a rule, has brown eyes with black horizontal pupils of the eye, however, albino individuals with red eyes are found. During mating, males become lighter in color, while females, on the contrary, become darker. The skin of the amphibian is smooth, slightly slippery, the epidermis does not keratinize.
Nature behavior
The grass frog is most active in the evening and night. Daytime activity can occur only in cloudy weather or in humid shady places. On a sunny day, the frog hides under the stones, in dense vegetation, in stumps. With the onset of cold weather, when the air temperature drops below 6 0 C, activity ceases. Frogs hibernate in large groups, the number of which ranges from several tens to hundreds. They carefully select places for wintering. As a rule, these are non-freezing rivers with a muddy bottom, roadside grooves or wetlands. The group tries to overcome the distance to the place of wintering in one day, usually it is no more than one and a half kilometers from the place of summer habitat. If hibernation conditions worsen, the group leaves the selected area, choosing a more suitable place.
Young frogs leave for the winter later, some of them can be found even in November. During hibernation, frogs sit on their hind legs pressed together, while they cover their head with their front legs, turning their palms up. The hibernation period lasts about 155 days. At this time, the frogs switch to skin respiration. If a pond selected as a wintering place freezes to the bottom, then the whole group may die.
Food
Many amphibian lovers are interested in what the grass frog eats. Favorite delicacy of adults - flies, slugs, dragonflies, midges, snails. They hunt them with a sticky long tongue. Tadpoles mainly prefer plant foods. They feed on detritus, algae. During the mating season, the frog does not eat.
Breeding
Frogs become sexually mature at the age of 3 years. Reproduction can occur in any shallow body of water: in puddles, ditches, lakes. Spawning begins 3-5 days after hibernation, in April-May. Males come to a reservoir earlier. They invoke a partner with the help of marriage "songs." Frogs begin to mate on the way to the spawning site. At this time, all the eggs of the females were ovulated and located in a thin-walled, elongated section of the oviducts, ready for laying. After throwing eggs, females leave the place of spawning. The laying of the frog is a lump of tightly coiled shells. One individual lays 650-1400 eggs.
Enemies
Many birds feed on caviar of frogs, for example: mallard, common newt, large godwit, elk, black tern, gray duck. Tadpoles are hunted by a blackbrow throat, magpie, swimming beetle, bluefin, mountain thrushes. They feed on adult individuals: black stork, gray shrike, boreal owl, eagle owl, vipers, goshawk, gull, spotted eagle, rooster. In spring, frogs can be eaten by wolves.
Grass frog: maintenance and care
To keep the grass frog at home, it is recommended to purchase a fairly large aquaterrarium (at least 30 l). If this is not possible, you can buy a regular aquarium, which is filled with water, but put wood or polystyrene in it, which will stay on the surface. This is done so that the animal can spend part of the time outside the water. It is advisable to throw leaves or stems of any aquatic vegetation on these "land islands" so that the frog can hide from the light. At the bottom of the aquarium, it is also necessary to put aquatic vegetation. Since in natural conditions the frog is not too demanding on the place of residence, it is quite simple to keep in captivity. The water in the aquarium can be changed to 1/3 once a week, but only once a month completely. Additional lighting or heating is also not required. Feeding a pet at home is possible with cockroaches, flies, crickets, bloodworms, and tubule makers. From time to time, the frog may be given small pieces of raw meat. Young individuals are fed leaves of lettuce or nettle leaves scalded with boiling water.
