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We've Got Frog Species And We're Gonna Shout It!
Traveling back through time millions of years ago, just imagine the age of dinosaurs. Nearby a dinosaur is munching on a tree. On the ground at its feet something familiar hops by:a frog. Surprised? Very few people realize just how ancient frogs are. Frogs have roamed the earth over 190 million years looking much the same as they do today. As amphibians, frogs have the advantage of a double life, one webbed foot in each of two worlds. Dive into the water and if there is not enough to eat in the pond then hop out and see what tasty dish they're serving on shore. Frogs can live in a variety of climates. Frogs can be found anywhere there is freshwater, from the desert to the Arctic on all continents except Antarctic. They thrive best in warm, tropical climates. Frogs like all amphibians are cold-blooded meaning their body temperature changes with the temperature of their surroundings. When the temperature drops, some frogs dig burrows underground or go to the bottom of the pond, stuck deep in the mud. They hibernate until spring, perfectly still and barely breathing.
Did you know there are over 3000 different species of frogs and toads? Frogs come in about every color of the rainbow.Shades of grassy green and muddy brown are most common and help them blend into their surroundings.Frogs do not always blend in though, in the tropics there are brightly colored frogs of blue, orange, purple, red and yellow with irregular shapes of all sizes.
There are different sizes of frogs too! The smallest frog is probably the Psyllorphryne Didactyla from Brazil, when full grown is onlu 9.8mm, about the size of a quarter!
The largest frog is the Goliath from West Africa and is about 300mm when full-grown and is bigger than a bullfrog!
Frogs have to have good eyesight, their bulging eyes can see in almost any direction. It is almost impossible to sneak up on a frog because of this factor. Their eyesight is what makes it possible for them to catch their food. They can see a wide range of color and also see weel seven if it's dim light. Forgs' eyes also help it swallow. When the frog eats the eyes sink through the openings in the skull and help force the food down their throat, thus making it look like the frog is blinking as they eat.
Frogs do love water, but they have to hae land to survive too! Frogs cannot swim forever and without land they would drown. Frogs need water for their survival; they drink and breathe the water. Frogs get all the moisture they need through their skin. If they don't keep their skin moist they would suffocate because the oxygen wouldn't pass through. Frogs have a unique function that allows mucus to secrete from the skin to keep the frogs skin moist.
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