Super Mag!!! Magazine

2002

AUGUST 2002 - FROGS
There are more than 90 species of frogs in the United States.
Frogs are born from eggs as tadpoles. Tadpoles have a tail, but no legs. They live and swim in water. As the tadpole matures, it grows legs and loses its tail. It grows into a four-legged amphibian that lives on both land and water.
Depending on the species, frogs can live from 2 to 40 years, but the average life span is from 4 to 15 years.
Frogs hibernate in the winter. They can live partially frozen during the winter.
Frogs have many predators, including fish, snakes, and birds.
Frogs have big round ears on the side of their head. They have lungs to breathe, but they can also breathe through their skin. They also have "jointed" or "hinged" teeth.
The largest frog in the world is the Goliath Frog, or Conraua goliath. Its body can be about one foot long. A frog that is tied for the smallest frog in the world is Eleutherodactylus iberia. It is about one centimeter long. The smallest frog in North America is the Little Grass Frog, or Pseudacris ocularis.

Fast Facts

There are more than 90 species of frogs in America.
The earliest known frog appeared during the late Jurassic period, about 190 million years ago.
Some frogs have claws, such as the African clawed toad.
The Mascarene frog can leap 17½ feet in a single jump.