Top Ten Awesome Facts About Frogs

Frogs are amazing. They are excellent indicators of the quality of their environment. They go from living completely underwater to an animal that breathes air. There are so many fascinating qualities! In this top ten, we’ve collected some of our favourite frog facts that you might not have known. Check out the list below to learn a little more about our froggy friends.

1. There are over 4,700 species of frogs!

They are found on every continent except Antarctica.

2. Every year that a frog goes into hibernation, a new layer of bone forms.

You can count these rings to find out the frog’s age.

3. Many frogs can jump 20 times their own height.

Some can jump even higher!

4. Frogs come in all sorts of colours.

The colourful skin of many tropical frogs acts as a warning to predators that these frogs are poisonous.

5. The study of amphibians and reptiles is called Herpetology, and those who study them are called Herpetologists.

The name comes from the Greek word Herpeton which means “something that crawls”.

6. One of the ways you can tell a male frog from a female is by looking at their ears.

A frog’s ear is called tympanum and it is located just behind the eye. If the tympanum is larger than the frog’s eye, it is male; if it is smaller, it is female.

7. Did you know that frogs moult? This is the process where they shed their skin.

Most frogs moult once a week but some will do it every day! Once the old skin has been pulled off, the frog usually eats it!

8. Croaking is used by male frogs as a way to attract females.

Each frog species has a distinct croak. They have vocal sacs, which fill with air, and can amplify the sound up to a mile away!

9. Frogs have teeth on their upper jaw, which they use to keep their prey in one place until they can swallow it.

Frogs swallow using their eyes; its eyes retract into its head and help push the food down its throat.

10. Frogs don’t drink water with their mouths; they “drink” by absorbing water through their skin.

Frogs have permeable skin, which means liquids and gases can pass through it. There is a bad side to having permeable skin, though. Frogs are at risk of absorbing whatever pollutions are in the water and air, and they can easily get dehydrated if they are away from water for too long.

Sources:
Michael E. Dorcas, Whit Gibbons (2011) Frogs: The Animal Answer Guide. JHU Press. Page 80
http://www.defenders.org/frogs/basic-facts
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/frogs-a-chorus-of-colors/frog-fun-facts
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2011/06/14-fun-facts-about-frogs/

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