Frogs are amphibians that live in the water and on land. They are also good jumpers and have to have special protection when they land after their jump. When a frog jumps they use their arms to help them. Their arms act as shock absorbers. This means that when frogs jump they use their arms so that when they land the landing does not harm them. Their arms contain something that absorbs the shock from the fall.

    Like most animals in the world, frogs have special features to help them survive the wild that they live in. When a frog has webbed feet you can tell that it is a good swimmer. Did you know that there is a reason that frogs have big mouths? It’s because their teeth aren’t very good at chewing, so they need to have a big mouth to swallow things whole. A frog’s eyes & nostrils are located on the top of their heads so they can breathe (and spot predators) while the rest of their bodies is hidden underwater. Do you know that frogs have slime covering their bodies? It keeps the frogs skin from drying out. Frogs eyes are big because sight is their major sense that they use the most.

    If you look carefully you can tell where a frogs habitat is by examining its feet. A frog with sticky feet gives you the clue that it lives in trees since sticky feet would help when climbing trees. Same thing for webbed feet or widely spaced feet.

    The frog’s life cycle starts when the female frog lays her eggs and they grow into tadpoles and break out of their jelly like eggs. They have gills to breathe, no feet, no lungs, and a tail. There are two tubes in the gills. One sucks in the air from the water and the other takes the water out of the air. After a while the small tadpole grows lungs. To use his lungs the tadpole goes to the surface of the water and breathes in air. The air travels to the lungs and then to the bloodstream. Then they lose their tails and grow front and back legs. They can now travel on land since they have become full-grown frogs. Pretty soon the life cycle will start all over again.       Frogs can live as long as they are cared for and are monitored carefully. The longest life-span entered was a European Common Toad at 40 years!!!!!!! Some toads can live for surprisingly long periods of time. They seem generally average somewhere between 4 and 15 years!!!!!!

    Some frogs like the Giant toad range between 7 and 24 years. Green and Black Poison Dart Frog ranging in between 7 and 17 years. The Oriental Fire –Bellied Toad ranges in 11 to 14 years. And the Ornate Horned Frog ranging in at 5 to 12 years.

    Have you ever wondered what frogs eat? They have a pretty scrumptious diet consisting of insects, spiders, and worms. But, those are just some of their favorites. Some frogs digest mice, small rats, baby birds, lizards, snakes, fish, pond worms, water snails, and small crabs.

    How do frogs digest these nutritious meals? The frog approaches, aims, then shoots it’s tongue out, brings the insect back and swallows. Frogs are carnivores so they must hunt for their food. The absolutely cool thing is that they can hide in water and not be seen but they can see by keeping their eyes above the surface of the water.

    Frogs, believe it or not have have predators. Some predators of frogs include (on land) birds, lizards, and snakes. In the water some predators are sharp teethed fish, mammals, water shrews, and birds. The main ways that a frog keeps itself away from predators are hiding under stones and leaves, (using camouflage). Some people in many countries are starting to eat frogs. Parasites take away food from frogs before they can digest the food.

    A lot of frogs have defense mechanisms to help protect themselves. One of the defense mechanisms is the frog’s color. Bright colors may warn predators that they are poisonous. The Speckled Tree Frog is an example of a frog that has bright colors and is poisonous.

    Another defense mechanisms is staying very still without moving. The Gray Tree Frog does this. It’s predators think that it is dead and will not mess with it.        

    Frogs hear by using big round ears located on the sides of their head. They are called a tympanum. Tympanum means drum. The size and distance between the ears depends on the wavelength and frequency of a male frogs call. On some frogs the ear is very hard to see.

    The Cricket Frog is the common name of an " Acris Gryyluss." They are often located around the Atlantic coast, Texas, or New Mexico. The Cricket Frog is 3\5 to 11\3 inches long. They have sticky toe pads and are brown or gray in color. They also have small spots, a white face and stripes. When a predator tries to eat the Cricket Frog they jump up to eight feet high and they can camouflage themselves.