- Do you know how they push food down and what they do when they shed their skin?
Do you think you know a bunch of these fun facts about frogs? Because some of them are going to shock you.
- Frogs are amphibians and can live in water and on land.
- Their lives are shown in this dual water and land life as they are laid in water, hatch in the water and eventually transform into air-breathing adults that can walk on land.
- There are over 7,000 known species of frogs and scientists discover new ones in remote rainforests, mountain ranges, and even unexpected urban environments all the time.
- Frogs don’t drink water through their mouths, they absorb moisture through a special patch of skin called the “drinking patch.”
- The drinking patch all frogs have for absorbing water is located on both their belly and their thighs. Did you know this as one of the fun facts about frogs?
- Some frog species are so tiny they can sit on the tip of a finger, while others, like the Goliath frog, grow large enough to weigh more than a human baby.
- Frogs come in many colors, from earthy greens and browns to bright blues, reds, and yellows, and many of these serve as a warning to predators that the frog is poisonous.
- The poison dart frog is one of the most toxic of amphibians and some species carry enough potent toxins to harm or even kill large animals.
- The poison dart frogs are harmless in captivity however because they aren’t eating toxic insects as they would in the wild.
- Frogs have great night vision and their bulging eyes give them a nearly 360-degree field of view, helping them spot predators and insects in dim lighting.
- Frogs use their eyes to swallow their food. They retract their eyeballs down into their head to help push the food toward their throat.
- Tadpoles are herbivores when they first hatch, first eating algae and plant material, but many species become omnivores or carnivores as they grow.
- Frogs are important indicators of environmental health, and declines in frog populations around the world often signal pollution, ecosystem stress, or climate change, or all three. This maybe isn’t one of the “fun facts” about frogs.
- Some frogs can freeze nearly solid in the winter and thaw out in spring thanks to natural antifreeze chemicals in their bodies that protect their cells from ice damage.
- The world’s loudest frog, the male coquí of Puerto Rico, produces a call that can reach over 100 decibels, or as loud as a motorcycle.
- Frogs communicate with a surprising variety of sounds, including croaks, chirps, trills, clucks, whistles, and even barks, and all according to species.
- Male frogs often have vocal sacs or balloon-like skin pockets under their chins that amplify their calls and help them attract females better.
- Some frog species care for their young in extremely creative ways, including carrying tadpoles on their backs, in their mouths, or even inside their stomachs. This is how they protect them until development is finished.
- The glass frog has translucent skin on its underside, allowing you to see its internal organs, including its heart and digestive system. This has got to be one of the most cool fun facts about frogs.
- Frogs shed their skin regularly. (And after they pull it off, they often eat it.)
- The Australian water-holding frog can store water inside its body and survive long dry seasons.
- Indigenous Australians have used Australian water-holding frogs as a water source in emergencies.
- Frogs can jump far for their size due to their powerful back legs, with some species able to leap over twenty times their body length.
- Many frogs live only a few years, but some species, especially those in stable temperate climates, can live ten years or more. (And certain frogs in captivity can reach ages above 20!)
So how many of these fun facts about frogs did you know? Tell us the craziest fact or your favorites in the comments!