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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
frogs,
toads |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Amphibia |
| ORDER: |
Anura |
| FAMILY: |
Over
29 families |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Over
4,100 species |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Most
numerous of the amphibians. Terms frog and toad
are used interchangably, no conclusive difference
between the two. Term "toad" used most
frequently in association with species in genus
Bufo.
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| Have
squat bodies, wide heads, large hind limbs, much
smaller forelimbs, in most cases, lack tails in
adults. Locomotion acheived via jumping and crawling.
Some species swim, burrow, climb and even glide
through air for short distances. |
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| SIZE: |
Smallest:
gold frog (Psyllophryne didactyla) 9.8
mm (0.30 in.) body length
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Largest: goliath frog (Conraua goliath) 32
cm (12.5 in.) body length, excluding hind legs;
with hind legs extended, overall length may be in
excess of 76.2 cm (30 in.) |
| FEMALE |
In
most species, females are larger than males |
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| WEIGHT: |
Largest:
goliath frog (Conraua goliath) at 3.3 kg
(7.2 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Carnivorous,
preferring live prey. They swallow their prey whole.
Diet for larger species includes mice, birds and
snakes. |
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| INCUBATION: |
Eggs
require moisture for development. Usually laid in
water singly, or in clusters. Eggs may float, sink
or attach to objects and vegetation. Eggs usually
hatch within six days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
Varies
by species from less than 20 to several thousand. |
| LARVAL
DURATION |
Tadpoles
hatch with gills and well developed tails. Internal
gills develop and external gills are absorbed at
about 6 weeks. Hind limbs and internal lungs develop
between 6-9 weeks. Tail shrinks and disappears by
16 weeks. |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Varies
by species |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Varies
by species |
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| RANGE: |
All
continents except Antarctica |
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| HABITAT: |
Majority
of species found near water in damp environments.
Few species live in arid environments. Most diversity
of species is in tropical regions such as rainforests. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Many
species listed |
| CITES |
Many
species listed |
| USFWS |
Many
species listed |
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| 1. |
The
tongues of many frogs are long and sticky. Adhesive
quality is used to capture prey. |
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| 2. |
Frogs
have thin skin. Secretions from glands beneath the
skin keep it moist and in some species, are toxic.
Frogs also absorb oxygen and expell carbon dioxide
through their skin. |
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| 3. |
Toxins
secreted by glands under frogs' skin are distastful
or poisonous to predators and in some cases, are
fatal. Many species with toxic secretions are brighly
and attractively colored serving to warn potential
predators. |
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| 4. |
Frogs
have three distinct life stages - egg, larva and
adult. |
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| 5. |
Males
possess a vocal sac on their throats used to produce
calls to attract mates. Air is transferred between
the sac and the lungs, passing over the vocal cords
which produces the loud sounds. |
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| 6. |
Tadpoles
are herbivorous, but adult frogs are entirely carnivorous.
They have large mouths designed to catch and swallow
prey whole. |
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| A
number of frog species are experiencing population
crashes at a rapid rate. The reasons for this are
not fully understood, but are believed to be related
to habitat degredation, global warming and pollution.
Frogs play an important role in the environment,
serving as predator and prey for other species.
When a frog specie's population declines or disappears,
the effect is felt throughout the food web. |
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|
| Burnie
D. and Wilson, D.E., eds. Smithsonian Institution
- Animal. New York: DK Publishing, Inc. 2001. |
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|
O'Shea, M. and Halliday T. Smithsonian Handbook's
Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: DK Publishing,
Inc. 2001. |
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http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/Endangered/frog/frog.html
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| http://elib.cs.berkely.edu/aw/lists.Brachycephalidae.shtml |
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