Page 46 - Amphibian

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Loads of toads and frogs

There are more than 3,500 species of frog,
but new species are still being discovered
every year (pp. 60–61). Frogs are by far
the largest and most flourishing group of
modern amphibians and are found on all
the world’s continents, except Antarctica.
Although a few species are adapted to living in cold
conditions and others live in deserts, the greatest
variety is found living in tropical rain forests. Frogs
have a wide range of lifestyles – aquatic, terrestrial, AUSTRALIAN BURROWER
and arboreal – that is, they live in water, on land, and Many frogs and toads burrow (pp. 54–55),
but only the aptly named mole frog from
in trees, respectively. Some frogs are totally aquatic, Western Australia is a supreme example of
like the African clawed toad (pp. 22–23), while semi- adapting to life underground. A “head-first”
terrestrial species live in and around ponds, lakes, burrower with a small head and tiny eyes, it
EUROPEAN GREEN fast-flowing rivers, and torrential streams. Wholly uses its powerful, muscular front legs, broad
Most tree frogs (pp. 50–53) hands, and stubby fingers to dig, in a
live in South America, but this terrestrial species include burrowing frogs, like the molelike fashion. It lives on termites and only
pretty little green tree frog, at mole frog, which cannot swim in water. The arboreal, comes to the surface to mate – when it rains.
1.5–2.5 in (4–6 cm) in length, or tree, frogs are also found in bushes, on sedges and
is common in most of Europe, grasses, as well as in trees. Frogs have evolved a wide
into Africa and Asia. It lives in
woods and scrubland, and only range of body shapes, sizes, and colors, that enable
leaves its treetop life to mate in them to survive in widely diverse habitats. Typical brightly
ponds during the spring. colored foot

Warty, AFRICAN GIANT
toadlike Adult African bullfrogs can grow
skin to 8 in (20 cm) in length. The
males can be very aggressive
when defending their
territories against
intruders – other
bullfrogs or even humans
– and are capable of
inflicting a nasty
bite (pp. 18–19).

Related
species can
have much
smaller
At 7.5 in (18.5 cm) long the African horns or no
bullfrog is large, but the Goliath frog A LEAFLIKE FROG FROM ASIA horns at all
from West Africa is the world’s The fleshy horns projecting over
biggest frog – the eyes and beyond the
up to 15.5 in snout make this a very
(40 cm) long effective leaf lookalike
(pp. 20–21).

ASIAN ARBOREALS
The Asian tree toad, at
2–4 in (5–10 cm) long, is
an unusual toad with disks
on its fingers and toes. They
are good climbers and live in
trees and bushes near
streams in the forests of
Thailand, Sumatra, and
Borneo (pp. 42–43).

NO ADDED COLOURS
These four, fat tomato
frogs (pp. 60–61) from
Madagascan northwestern Madagascar
tomato frogs, really are this deep tomato-
from 2–2.75 in red color, and are shaped like
(5–7 cm) long a tomato as well.

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