
I found this picture and wanted to
learn more about frogs. Here’s what I learned.
Basic
Facts About Frogs
Frogs are amphibians, which comes from the Greek
language and means "both lives." Most frogs are born in water as
tadpoles and gradually change into frogs although some frogs, known as direct
developers, are born as full frogs. This allows them to be born and live far
away from water, such as on mountaintops.
Diet
A frog mainly lives on insects and small animals like earthworms, minnows
and spiders.
Population
There are approximately 4,740 species of frogs around
the entire world. There are about 90 species of frogs in the United States.
Unfortunately, about 120 amphibian species, including frogs, toads and
salamanders, have disappeared since 1980. Historically, one species of
amphibian would disappear every 250 years.
Range
Frogs can be found on every continent in the world
except Antarctica. However, the highest concentration of frogs is found in
warmer tropical climes.
Behavior
Frogs are known as indicator species and can give
scientists valuable insight into how an ecosystem is functioning. Because they
are predators and prey many animals are affected by them, frogs provide insight
into the health of the ecosystem.