Frogs are amphibians belonging to the order Anura. Physically, they differ from frogs by their rough, dry skin, as opposed to the soft, moist texture of frog bodies. They are experts in camouflage but, at the same time, are easy to recognize for their undeniable croaking. Frogs are found almost all over the world and are common to see them in gardens on rainy days. What do you know about your habits?
If you want to know more about the characteristics of this species, such as where it lives and what frogs eat, you can not miss this article of Animal Expert with everything about the feeding of frogs. Read!
- Frogs are amphibians characterized by small bodies and large eyes.
- Although the tones may vary.
- The most common colors are olive green.
- Brown and gray.
- In addition.
- They have yellow eyes with horizontal pupils.
- Like many other species.
- They have a sexual dimorphism.
- Being females larger than males.
- Reaching 14 cm in length.
- While males measure only 9 to 10 cm in height.
The frog bodies are rounded, with wide legs, with four fingers at the front and five at the back. Their head is short but wide and includes a large snout that allows them to take their food very easily.
Some frog species have a special defense system, capable of secreting poison through the glands present in their skin.
Another characteristic of frogs is their oviparous reproduction, that is, by eggs. The eggs are incubated in water and small tadpoles are born, which pass through a cycle similar to that of frogs.
The frogs have no teeth, on the contrary, they have a long, sticky tongue with which to take their prey and insert it into the oral cavity to swallow it completely.
As we said, most species wait for their prey hidden in vegetation and then catch them with their sticky tongues. Once in the mouth, the frog swallows all the prey, forcing its head to pass through the throat without chewing it and swallowing it quickly. When it reaches the stomach, the prey begins to undergo a dehydration process thanks to the acids in the stomach.
Some species of frogs don’t have this sticky tongue. In these cases, they take the prey by surprise and hold it with the force of their jaw.
Before you talk about what common frogs eat, you need to know where frogs live. They can be found on all continents, where they prefer to live in humid places and near water sources. They can survive in almost every ecosystem, from forests to grasslands to urbanized areas, but they do not live in Antarctica or deserts.
When frogs are born, they are aquatic, but as they develop, they begin to live both on land and in water. On land it is common to find them hidden behind rocks, logs and shrubs, in order to keep moisture in the body and protect themselves from predators. This task is also facilitated by the pigmentation of your skin, ideal for easily camouflaging.
They are poiquilothermic animals, which means that the internal temperature of their body adapts to that perceived in the environment. Frogs do not have body control mechanisms similar to those of other species, so they try to protect themselves from extreme climates by remaining in wetlands. It is also common to find them at any time of the day, especially if the weather is rainy.
Now that you know the habitat of these animals, let’s see what frogs eat in these environments.
Frogs are opportunistic carnivorous animals, they do not hunt their prey like other animals, but stand still until they get close enough to throw their huge sticky tongue, how easily they swallow the victim.
The frog’s diet varies depending on its species, while do common frogs eat? Small species feed on all kinds of insects, worms, spiders and snails, while others can eat fish. On the other hand, larger species feed on small snakes, lizards and rodents. So, if you’re wondering what the frogs eat, you can see that the answer is small animals that are easy to catch with your tongue.
A characteristic of frogs is their ability to adapt to eating habits. While each species has a specific diet, they are able to vary this diet if environmental conditions require it, for example, in the event that certain prey are scarce or disappear.
As mentioned above, frogs can remain in both water and land. They are animals that breathe through the skin, and breathing is gilly when tadpoles and pulmonary when they reach adulthood. So, in adulthood, they have more difficulty breathing underwater, so they live mainly outdoors. For this reason, all frogs are considered terrestrial and therefore eat the beings we mentioned earlier.
Frog pups, called frog tadpoles, feed on plants and algae in the water. As we have already said, frogs are animals that metamorphose as they grow, their eating habits change and thus become carnivores as they reach adulthood.
Before becoming adults, frogs go through a tadpole stage similar to frogs. During this period, they have no legs, no tails, no gills, and live in the water. In principle, these frog pups feed on the vitelin sac for the first few days. Then they eat plants and algae. In addition, they consume waste of all kinds, larvae and mosquitoes.
Learn more about tadpole feeding in this Animal Expert article
As with many other species, some threats endanger the existence of frogs. Here are some:
Like frogs, it is possible to adopt certain species of frogs as a pet. In these cases, it is essential to provide adequate nutrition at every stage of their lives, as well as provide them with a diet that provides them with the same nutrients that these animals would get for free. In this sense, frog pups can be fed crushed fish scales, which can be found in any pet shop. In addition, it is advisable to add algae to the pot where the tadpoles are located to supplement your diet with crushed red larvae.
For adult domestic frogs, their diet should be carnivorous. This is one of the main reasons why we do not recommend adopting a frog as a pet, as the task of providing adequate nutrition is complicated. If you already have one at home, you should give small fish, larvae and live worms and sometimes fish scales. In some shops it is also possible to buy crickets and other live insects, as well as ants. As for the amounts, you should be careful how quickly your frog consumes the food you provide, so you will know how many insects, fish, etc. you must provide a day.
The feeding of frogs differs slightly from the feeding of frogs. Sometimes frogs can eat plant foods, while frogs are strictly carnivorous. However, frogs also tend to eat insects of all kinds, snails, worms, etc.
If you want to read articles similar to What the frog eats ?, we recommend that you visit our Balanced Diets section.