When most people think of Frogs, they think of slimey creatures that make annoying sounds.
Those people are right, but they're actually a very important animal to the environment and to the habitats they occupy.
On top of eating annoying mosquitoes and flies, they're also a very important indicator species
Since Frogs have semi-permeable skin, Scientists usually look to Frogs to monitor the health of environments.
If an environment is polluted or suffering, Frogs may have absorbed the toxins into thier bodies, which makes it easy for Scientists to track the problem down.
Frogs are also amazing because they're among the most diverse animals on Earth - there are over 7,000 species of Frogs and more are being discovered every year!
Each species of Frog is different from the rest in some specific ways.
Some cool species of Frogs include:
- The African Goliath Frog
- This Frog is the largest Frog in the world.
- The African Goliath tadpole is the same size as the average tadpole, but as an adult, it can grow to a foot long and can weigh over 7 pounds.
- The Desert Rain Frog
- This Frog just looks so funny.
- However, its behavior is also very interesting. It's native to the desert of Nambia which is already bizarre for a Frog as it's thousands of miles from any Fresh water.
- It's also a nocturnal animal and during the day it hides deep under the sand waiting for the night to come
- The Purple Frog
- Again this Frog looks very funny, and again it also has some interesting characteristics.
- It lives in India and only appears two weeks a year during the monsoon season.
- The Wallace Flying Frog
- This Frog is one of the few Frogs that can "fly".
- They have an interesting membrane between their toes which allows them to get away from predators.
- When they are spooked they jump and spread their toes out which slows their fall and allows them to land.
Obvioulsy when there are almost 10,000 species of an animal, there are hundreds of fascinating ones. If you are interested in more cool frog species click here.
Hopefully this page convinced you that Frogs are the best animal, click here to learn about the differences between Frogs and Toads.