Portal:Frogs

The Frogs Portal

Various types of frog

A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ἀνούρα, literally without tail in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" Triadobatrachus is known from the Early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their split from other amphibians may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforest. Frogs account for around 88% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. Warty frog species tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal, not from taxonomy or evolutionary history.

An adult frog has 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 fresh water and on dry land; some species are adapted for living underground or in trees.

Frogs typically lay their eggs in water. The eggs hatch into aquatic larvae called tadpoles that have tails and internal gills. They have highly specialized rasping mouth parts suitable for herbivorous, omnivorous or planktivorous diets. The life cycle is completed when they metamorphose into adults. A few species deposit eggs on land or bypass the tadpole stage. Adult frogs generally have a carnivorous diet consisting of small invertebrates, but omnivorous species exist and a few feed on plant matter. Frog skin has a rich microbiome which is important to their health. Frogs are extremely efficient at converting what they eat into body mass. They are an important food source for predators and part of the food web dynamics of many of the world's ecosystems. The skin is semi-permeable, making them susceptible to dehydration, so they either live in moist places or have special adaptations to deal with dry habitats. Frogs produce a wide range of vocalizations, 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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Ecnomiohyla rabborum, commonly known as Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog, is a possibly extinct species of frog in the family Hylidae. They were relatively large frogs that inhabited the forest canopies of central Panama. Like other members of the genus Ecnomiohyla, they were capable of gliding by spreading their enormous and fully webbed hands and feet during descent. The males of the species were highly territorial and would guard water-filled tree holes used for breeding. They were also the ones responsible for guarding and caring for the young, including providing food. They were the only known species of frog where the tadpoles derived nutrition by feeding on the skin cells of their fathers.

The species was discovered in 2005 and formally described in 2008 by a team of herpetologists led by Joseph R. Mendelson III. It was named in honor of the conservationists and herpetologists George B. Rabb and Mary S. Rabb. It was officially listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) by 2009. It is believed that the species became extinct in the wild mainly because of an epidemic of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in its native range. Despite the efforts of several conservation teams, captive breeding programs all failed. The last known female of the species died in 2009. She was survived by two other individuals, both males. On February 17, 2012, one of the two was euthanized at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia due to failing health. The last known surviving member of the species, an adult male named Toughie, resided at the Atlanta Botanical Garden until his death September 26, 2016. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various frog-related articles on Wikipedia.

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

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Did you know?

... that larvae of the toadfly make their way through the nostrils of the common toad (affected toad pictured) and eat its flesh?
... that female Stefania evansi frogs can carry up to 30 eggs or froglets on their back?
... that Woodhouse's toad (pictured) seems to be displacing the Arizona toad in central Arizona?
... that the Italian pool frog (pictured) has been introduced into the United Kingdom?
... that the call of the Sonoran green toad is said to resemble "the buzzer on an electric alarm clock"?