Frog

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For other uses, see Frog (disambiguation).
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Frog
Temporal range: Early Triassic-Holocene, 2500Ma
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Caerulea3 crop.jpg
Australian green tree frog (Litoria caerulea)
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Clade: Salientia
Order: Anura
Dumril, 1806 (as Anoures)
Suborders
Archaeobatrachia
Mesobatrachia
Neobatrachia

List of Anuran families
Distribution.anura.1.png
Native distribution of frogs (in green)
Frogs are a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amph
ibians composing the order Anura (Ancient Greek an-, without + oura, tail). The
oldest fossil "proto-frog" appeared in the early Triassic of Madagascar, but mol
ecular clock dating suggests their origins may extend further back to the Permia
n, 265 million years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics
to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is fo
und in tropical rainforests. There are approximately 4,800 recorded species, acc
ounting for over 85% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five
most diverse vertebrate orders.
The body plan of an adult frog is generally characterized by a stout body, protr
uding eyes, cleft tongue, limbs folded underneath and the absence of a tail. Bes
ides living in fresh water and on dry land, the adults of some species are adapt
ed for living underground or in trees. The skin of the frog is glandular, with s
ecretions ranging from distasteful to toxic. Warty species of frog tend to be ca
lled toads but the distinction between frogs and toads is based on informal nami
ng conventions concentrating on the warts rather than taxonomy or evolutionary h
istory; some toads are more closely related to frogs than to other toads. Frogs'
skins vary in colour from well-camouflaged dappled brown, grey and green to viv
id patterns of bright red or yellow and black to advertise toxicity and warn off
predators.
Frogs typically lay their eggs in water. The eggs hatch into aquatic larvae call
ed tadpoles that have tails and internal gills. They have highly specialized ras
ping mouth parts suitable for herbivorous, omnivorous or planktivorous diets. Th
e life cycle is completed when they metamorphose into adults. A few species depo
sit eggs on land or bypass the tadpole stage. Adult frogs generally have a carni
vorous diet consisting of small invertebrates, but omnivorous species exist and
a few feed on fruit. Frogs are extremely efficient at converting what they eat i
nto body mass, which makes them an important food source for predators. Frogs ar
e a keystone group in the food web dynamics of many of the world's ecosystems. T
he skin is semi-permeable, making them susceptible to dehydration, so they eithe
r live in moist places or have special adaptations to deal with dry habitats. Fr
ogs produce a wide range of vocalizations, particularly in their breeding season
, and exhibit many different kinds of complex behaviours to attract mates, to fe
nd off predators and to generally survive.
Frog populations have declined significantly since the 1950s. More than one thir
d of species are considered to be threatened with extinction and over one hundre
d and twenty are believed to have become extinct since the 1980s.[1] The number
of malformations among frogs is on the rise and an emerging fungal disease, chyt
ridiomycosis, has spread around the world. Conservation biologists are working t
o understand the causes of these problems and to resolve them. Frogs are valued
as food by humans and also have many cultural roles in literature, symbolism and
religion.