![]() They remain in hibernation until warmer weather arrives in the spring. Other frogs that live in colder places that have a frigid winter find shelter, sometimes also underground, and also enter a state of deep sleep, called hibernation (high-bur-NAY-shun). There, they wait for the rainy season and then climb back up to the ground to eat and to mate. Most of these frogs spend hours everyday underground or in some other moist place.Ī number of frog species that live in dry areas, such as grasslands or deserts, stay underground and enter a state of deep sleep, called estivation (es-tih-VAY-shun) for much of the year. Some species are able to survive without ever having to even dip their feet in a puddle. At that point, frogs of some species may leave the water and make their homes on land, while others may stay in the water. The majority of frogs start their lives in the water as eggs, then hatch into tadpoles, which remain in the water until they turn into froglets. It makes its mountain home at 16,971 feet (5,238 meters) above sea level in the Himalayas. The Pakistani toad is perhaps the highest-living frog. Some, however, survive quite well high above the ground. The majority of frogs live in valleys, lowlands, or only partway up the sides of mountains. Frogs usually stay out of very dry areas, but the water-holding frog and a few others are able to survive in dry grasslands and even deserts. The largest number of frog species is in hot and humid tropical areas, but some make their homes in places that have all four seasons, including a cold winter. They do not live in extremely cold areas, such as the Arctic, or on many of the islands out in the ocean. GEOGRAPHIC RANGEįrogs live in North, Central, and South America, in Europe and Asia, in Africa, and in Australia. As the tadpoles change into young frogs, however, the tail slowly becomes shorter and shorter until it is gone. Including their tails, tadpoles are often as long as or longer than the adult frogs. These tadpoles suck in water and strain little bits of food out of it. Some tadpoles instead have a fleshy mouth. Often, the mouth on a tadpole is hard like the beak of a bird and is able to scrape bits of plants off the sides of underwater rocks. Tadpoles are sometimes described as a sack of guts with a mouth at one end and a tail at the other. Most species of frogs lay eggs that hatch into tadpoles. They have bright colors that make them very noticeable. Many of the poison frogs, among others, are not camouflaged. They also have spots, stripes, and other patterns that help them blend into their surroundings. This tiny organ does not appear to do anything in a healthy male toad, but it does help scientists tell a true toad from all other kinds of frogs.Ī great number of frogs are green, brown, gray, and other colors that look much like the background in the place they live. ![]() A Bidder's organ is a female body part that is found inside a male toad. What sets them apart from other frogs-even those that are also chubby, warty, and short-legged-is something called a Bidder's organ. The members of this family typically have chubby bodies, rather short hind legs, and many warts. Although many people think that all warty frogs can be called toads, only those in one family of frogs are true toads. ![]() These compare with the unusually large Goliath frog, which can grow to 12.6 inches (32 centimeters) long and weigh 7 pounds (3.25 kilograms).ĭepending on the species, the skin on a frog may be smooth, somewhat bumpy, or covered with warts. ![]() The smallest species are the Brazilian two-toed toadlet and the Cuban Iberian rain frog, which only grow to about 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) long. Most of the frogs are about 1.5 to 3.0 inches (3.5 to 7.5 centimeters) long from the tip of the snout to the end of the rump. A long, rod-shaped bone, called a urostyle (YUR-oh-stile) in the hip area.Two extra bones in the ankle area that make their long legs even longer.A short body with only eight or nine bones in the spine.Compared with all the other vertebrates, frogs are the only ones that have this combination of features: A vertebrate is an animal with a spine, or backbone. Like mammals, birds, bony fishes, reptiles, and other amphibians, frogs are vertebrates (VER-teh-brehts).
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