Frog Facts
Frog Facts - The Life And Times Of An Interesting Creature
One of the first frog facts worth mentioning is that toads are also members of the frog family. Lest that lead to some confusion, note that while there are certain differences, the two are very closely related. Both are amphibians, living both in and out of water. The word amphibian by the way, means a double life, which is certainly the case with these creatures. If you study frogs, you are a herpetologist. As a herpetologist you are also permitted to study both amphibians and reptiles. There are over 400 species of frogs world wide, including 20 or so in the United States, plenty of material for the average herpetologist.
Frogs have a soft skin, which can easily absorb water. Some of the more interesting frog facts are that the frog, being an amphibian, takes in oxygen through its skin. It can also breathe through a pair of primitive lungs, while tadpoles, or infant frogs, initially breathe through gills, but eventually, as the gills become covered with skin, breathe through their skin. Quite a back up system.
One of the problems encountered in having a water absorbing skin is, the frog is quite sensitive to pollutants which may be in the water. If a body of water becomes polluted, any resident amphibians, including frogs, are often the first to die off. In that sense frogs can serve as an indicator of the general health of a local environment.
Frogs lay eggs in clusters, many eggs at a time, as the mortality rate of tadpoles and small frogs tends to be very high. About a week after hatching, a tadpole will start swimming around looking for something to eat. That something is normally algae. For the first month or so tadpoles live off algae, and then graduate to slightly larger food forms. At 6 weeks their legs start to sprout, and by 2 months the tadpole has taken on the form of a tiny frog with a big tail. The tail will vanish as the frog approaches the 3 to 4 month mark, at which time you have your basic, though still small, frog.
If you are planning to handle frogs (or become a herpetologist), there are some frog facts you should be aware of. While it is safe to handle most frogs, a few species are poisonous. In Columbia there is a pretty little frog called the Golden Poison Arrow frog. As the name implies, natives use the secretions from its skin to tip their hunting arrows. Handling this frog species with bare hands could be fatal.
For the most part though, frogs are fun to watch, and valuable creatures to have around the property. Tadpoles make interesting pets, if only for a few weeks. Enjoy your frogs, whatever the species. Just watch out for the little golden ones.