16 facts about American bullfrog
The American bullfrog, commonly referred to as simply bullfrog, is an invasive species native to North America. As one of the largest frog species, an ...
These popular anuran amphibians are small frogs with very interesting characteristics. They are excellent climbers, often living in trees but can also climb on flat surfaces. To hide from predators they adjust their body colors just like chameleons. However, when camouflage does not work the venom produced by the skin glands comes into play, which can save the life of this small animal.
Because of their interesting coloration, three frogs are eagerly kept in terrariums.
The riverine family includes about 800 species of animals divided into 48 genera.
Its range includes most of the Iberian Peninsula, and central Europe except Italy, Ukraine, the Balkans, Crete, northwestern Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.
It lives in clear-cut deciduous forests, shrubby areas, lush meadows, and coastal thickets. Ruffles shy away from dark and heavily vegetated forests.
Their bodies are slender and equipped with long legs, enabling rapid and long leaps. A typical male reaches 3.2 to 4.3 cm in body length and females 4 to 5 cm. The weight of males is 8 to 9 g and females 11 even up to 15 g in extreme cases.
Their back can be green, gray, or light brown. The color can change due to temperature, humidity, or mood. The belly is whitish and is separated from the dorsal color by a thin dark line running from the snout and eye to the pelvis. The throat is white in females and golden brown in males.
It is used during the mating season to attract females. The more colorful it is, the better it indicates the condition of its bearer.
They hunt mainly arthropods. Their prey is usually spiders, flies, beetles, butterflies, and caterpillars. They catch many of their prey in flight, so flying insects make up most of their diet. They hunt from concealment, remaining motionless and waiting for a good opportunity to instantly snatch their prey with their agile tongue.
Males then gather on the banks of bodies of water or directly on their surface and begin their trailing call, which begins to sound in the evening and lasts until late at night. The district of a single male tree frog is three meters. Amphibians try to keep inside them and chase away intruders. Females choose mates based on their voice and the coloration of the resonance sac and the ribbon passing through the side of the body.
The eggs are 1.5 mm in diameter. After 10 to 14 days, tadpoles hatch from them. The earlier the eggs are laid, the larger and more adult the tadpoles will grow.
This usually takes place between late July and early August.
This is probably their maximum lifespan; in the wild, they usually reach a maximum age of 6 years.
They are also reluctant to settle in a new pond if it is more than 750 meters away from others, and is not overgrown by bushes and tall greenery. They also prefer neutral or slightly alkaline waters.
They can climb even on vertical smooth surfaces and have been found as high as 10 meters.
It takes these amphibians about 20 minutes to change color from light green to almost dark.
This distinguishes them from frogs, which croak or retch. The jabber has a different sound, similar to that of a rattle. You can listen to it on the National Forest website.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has revised the species’ endangered status several times in recent years. In 2004 it was even considered near threatened (NT) but is now classified as a species of least concern (LC).
