The Frog
There are many different species of frog. Frogs as a whole are known as amphibians. A fully grown frog has long hind legs, no tail, a short compact body and webbed 'hands' and 'feet'. He lives between water and land and gets about by either jumping or climbing. The larvae of frogs are called tadpoles and after they are spawned they develop in water where they form gills. Tadpoles are usually spawned in ponds but could equally grow in lakes, rivers and even puddles!
The frog is a vocal animal and most people will be familiar with the croaking sound of the frog, this is particularly strong during the mating season when the frog will 'call' out to attract a mate.
As mentioned above, there are many different species of frog. A good number of these live in the rainforests of the world and sadly a number of these species are now in decline, primarily due to environmental factors.
A lot of frogs contain a level of toxin which gives them an unpleasant taste and is nature's way of deterring predators. A toad has a fairly large quantity of toxin for example that is located in glands on the head, between the eyes. Some frogs, like the poison dart frog, contain a higher level of toxin that can be very dangerous. The toxins in frogs vary from having a hallucinogenic reaction on the predator through to producing a convulsion or vasoconstrictive effect. However, despite this, frogs are still on the menu for a lot of animals and some of these have developed a high tolerance to the toxins in the frog which means that they do not have a detrimental affect on them. This is not the case with humans and a poison dart frog, for example, could very easily prove fatal. As the frog is carnivorous it is also able to absorb a lot of toxins for its own prey.
In recent times biochemists have become increasingly interested in harbouring the toxins found in some frogs for therapeutic work. A painkiller has been developed from toxins found in the poison dart frog that is over 200 times stronger than morphine. It is also thought that some toxins may be able to help in the fight against the HIV infection.