Tailless, short-bodied amphibians, making up about 88% of all amphibian species. Most start life as tadpoles in water, and “toads” are simply frogs with drier, wartier skin.
This entry covers a whole group, so the answers describe a typical member. For a specific one, see Tree frog, Poison dart frog, Bullfrog, Toad.
Quick answers
What is it?Amphibian
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?Can be
Most are harmless to touch, but frog skin secretions range from distasteful to toxic, and brightly coloured species warn predators they’re poisonous.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Hibernates?Yes
In colder regions many frogs hibernate through winter, and some can even survive being frozen.
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Do people eat it?Yes
Frogs, especially their muscular hind legs, are eaten in many parts of the world.
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatWetland, Rivers & lakes, Rainforest
ColoursGreen, Brown
SizeTiny
Legs4
Covered inSkin
Lives ingroups
Lives for4–15 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Worldwide, from the tropics to subarctic regions. Most species live in tropical rainforests and their wetlands.
- What it eats
- Mostly insects and other invertebrates, caught with a sticky tongue and swallowed whole. A few species eat plants.
Did you know
Takes in water through its skin rather than drinking it.
The oldest known “proto-frog” lived in Madagascar about 250 million years ago.
Often confused with
- Toad
Toads are frogs with drier, rougher, wartier skin that live more on land. The split is informal and doesn’t match scientific classification.
Sources
Last reviewed
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
