Frog Facts and Links
What do call a Group of Frogs?
- A group of frogs is called an army (and they live in Frog Country).
- A group of toads is called a knot.
People who like frogs and people who don’t
- People who study frogs are called Herpetologist.
- People who are afraid of frogs suffer from Ranidaphobia.
Frog Eyes
- A frog’s eye can see in almost any direction (kind of like my mother).
- The eyes are mounted high on the sides of the head to give visibility to the front, sides, and even partially to the rear and all while the frog is mostly under water.
- Did you know a frog’s pupil comes in many shapes – round, horizontal slits, vertical slits (good for night vision) triangular, hourglass, diamon or even heart-shaped (Bombina species).
Frog Sounds
- The “ribbit” sound, which is often associated with frogs, actually only comes from the Pacific Tree Frog (American species). Other frogs produce bonks, yelps, grunts, chirps and a bunch.
- Frogs that are singing will abruptly stop when they see an intruder entering their area.
Misc. Frog Facts
- Frogs shed their skin regularly and then eat the skin carcass (ick!)
- Frogs can jump about 20 times the length of their body.
- The Gastric Brooding Frog incubates its young inside its stomach. When the baby frog develops past the tadpole stage, it hops out of its mother’s mouth.
- Frogs don’t drink water; they absorb water and air through their skin.
- The largest frog is the Goliath frog. It can grow up to one foot long and weigh more than seven pounds.
Colorful Frogs Can Kill
- The most colorful frogs are poisonous. For example, the skin of a single Golden Poison Dart Frog contains enough poison to kill 10 people. Now that is small but deadly!
Frog Feet
- The Indian Water Frog can run across the surface of the water.
- Tree frogs can climb up a smooth surface like glass.
- Frogs can’t chew their food, so they have to swallow it whole.
Frog Food
- Frogs eat insects, spiders, worms, slugs, and snails. Larger frogs may eat mice or rats, lizards, snakes, small birds, and even other frogs and toads. Frogs that live in water also each eat larvae and small fish.
- They catch their prey with a long, sticky tongue. The tongue is attached at the front of the frog’s mouth and the frog can quickly throw it forward & snatch it back to catch insects in flight.
- Their tongue may be up to a third of the length of the frog’s body.
- They usually don’t go after their prey. They sit quietly and wait for their meal to arrive.
- When a frog eats food that is too large to swallow, it will leave it sticking out of its mouth and ingest it gradually.
Number of Frogs
- There are over 4,000 species of frogs in the world.
- Only 88 species of frogs are in the USA and Canada.
Lucky Frogs
- In Japan frogs are symbols of good luck.
- In China the Frog is an emblem of Yin energy and thought of as good luck.
- Feng Shui practices recommend putting an image of a Frog in the east window of your home to encourage child birth and/or happy family life.
- The Celts believed the Frog was lord over all the earth. To them the frog, represented curative or healing powers because of its connection with water and cleansing rains.
Not a Frog At All
Flower frogs have nothing really to do with frogs. Also called flower blocks, flower bricks, flower holders and floral arrangers, they are ornate decorative pieces that feature matching bowls and are usually made of pottery or porcelain. They often feature a tall figure with the holes at the bottom. They are a highly sought after collectible.
Frog Links:
Frog Blogs
