About Frogs
Apart from the rare and localised pool frog, the main frog species in the Frogs have very long legs with webbed toes allowing them to jump easily and also swim in water. Females are much larger than males, which will often hitch a ride on the back of a female in the spring en-route to breeding ponds.
Where do Frogs Live? Frogs like to live in damp areas ranging from grassland and woodland to high up in mountains. In the spring breeding season, they like to be near ponds, ditches and even puddles where they will spawn.
What do Frogs Eat? Fogs eat a wide variety of small prey including slugs, snails, caterpillars, beetles, woodlice etc. They have good eyesight and will jump at prey and catch it by using their long sticky tongue.
What Predators do Frogs Have? Frogs are eaten by many other birds and mammals including birds of prey, gulls, corvids, herons, ducks, stoats, weasels and otters. Tadpoles are also eaten by fish, birds, dragonfly larvae and other pond predators.
What is the Life Cycle of a Frog? Every spring, frogs all over the country return in large numbers to the pool where they were born. The males are very vocal at this time of year, croaking to attract a female. The males ride on to the back of females, using special rough pads on their thumbs to avoid slipping off, until they are ready to mate. Sometimes, if there are many more females than males in a pond, the female will be swamped by males and can drown as a result.
Each female is capable of laying over 1,000 eggs, but only a few of these will eventually develop into adults, with many eggs and tadpoles being eaten by predators, despite the eggs having jelly around them in an attempt to protect the eggs from being eaten.
Food supply and water temperature can greatly affect the development of the eggs and when the tadpoles first hatch, they will cling onto their eggs or nearby weeds. At this stage, the tadpoles breathe by taking in oxygen through their gills. On average it takes about 3 months for the tadpoles to develop into frogs, when they finally develop lungs and legs.
After the tiny frogs leave the pond it can take up to three years for them to develop into adults.
During the winter, frogs hibernate either in mud at the bottom of ponds and ditches, or under cover in a damp spot.
