DESCRIPTION

Its body is stocky and its legs strong, its skin is usually grainy but smooth during the breeding season. Its head is broad with a rounded muzzle, its pupil horizontal. In spring, males have a bluish throat. Total length: 10 cm, males being smaller than females 6 cm. Frogs have longer, more muscular hind legs than toads, which allows them to do great jumps. They are also well adapted to aquatic life: the toes of the hind legs are connected by a membrane which facilitates swimming. The skin of frogs, unlike that of toads, is smooth and wart-free. Their large protruding eyes allow them to see in all directions.

Frogs have a sticky tongue that allows them to effectively catch the small animals they feed on: insects, spiders, snails, slugs and earthworms. Some large frogs can eat other frogs, small rodents, and even small fish.

The common frog, like all frogs, is an amphibian with a tight body and no tail. The skin is brown, with dark patterns. The muzzle is quite flattened, and calluses are found on the toes of the hind legs during the spawning season.

HABITAT

All of Europe, with the exception of the southern zone, Asia to Japan reaches 2000 m in the Pyrenees and 2500 m in the Alps. Lives on granite soils, in stagnant water in the upper part of rivers during the wintering and reproduction period (winter and spring) and on land the rest of the year.

Although their breathing is pulmonary, frogs can stay underwater for long periods of time, absorbing the oxygen they need through their very thin skin. Some species spend most of their time in moist underground holes, from which they only come out to feed and reproduce. In areas where there is a bad season, too cold or too hot, frogs bury themselves in mud and silt and go into lethargy until the return of summer.

REPRODUCTION

Common frogs are very early in the year on their spawning grounds. The males, provided with internal vocal sacs in the throat, make their rather discreet croaks heard. The song, which allows them to attract females, is different according to the species: it is a way of differentiating them. Males of some species have vocal sacs, which swell and produce more powerful sounds. The larvae (tadpoles) are black in color. The migrations of red frogs, during spawning, expose them to the dangers of the roads to be crossed.

He's an Oviparous. Couplings and egg-laying over a period of 15 days between February and April in Lozère depending on the altitude. Fertilization is external. Females lay 1,500 to 4,000 eggs in water, in packets. Each egg is surrounded by a mucous membrane, which allows them to clump together. Tadpoles are born after 2 to 3 weeks depending on the temperature. Their development lasts 2 to 3 months until metamorphosis. Sexual maturity reached at 3 years.

The hatching will release tadpoles. The tadpole is an aquatic and herbivorous larval form. It will undergo a gradual metamorphosis to give the adult, amphibious and carnivorous form. During this metamorphosis, the tail will regress while four legs will appear, and the gills will disappear. Acquiring lungs allows adults to live out of water for some time. The skin also plays a big role in breathing.

FOOD

Worms, molluscs, insects, spiders and woodlice are part of its diet. Tadpoles feed on algae, plant debris, but also small animal prey or eggs of other amphibians

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