Is the frog an animal or an insect? Detachment of anuran amphibians

What does a person know about a frog and its way of life? Monotonous croaking on summer evenings, unpresentable appearance (unpleasantly to take in hands), convex eyes and mosquitoes as favorite food (at least, so show in cartoons) - these are the basic associations at the word "frog". And here it is interesting: the frog is an animal or an insect?

Frog: external characteristics

Real frogs are the most numerous representatives of the amphibian class. Different in size (body length from 30 to 250 mm), they are distributed around the world, except perhaps Antarctica and Australia. Related to the family of tailless amphibians, frogs number more than 3,500 species that share common external characteristics. These are teeth on the upper jaw, a slight exaggeration of the skin, swimming membranes on the hind legs. The head of the frog - with two huge, bulging eyes, which are protected by three centuries (the lower, upper and transparent blinking membrane) and an order of magnitude more mobile than the fish. Before the eyes there are through nostrils, equipped with valves and opening into the oral cavity.

Is the frog an animal or an insect?

This peculiar structure of the head helps the frog to trace the prey imperceptibly: when immersed in water, the animal exposes its eyes and nostrils, breathes this way and, looking around all, patiently waits for its potential dinner. The organ of hearing of the cuckoo is the eardrum behind it . A glass frog with its crystal clear skin is the most vivid example by which one can study the internal structure of the organs of the amphibian body. Through perfectly transparent skin, you can clearly observe all the insides. Judging by the above description, the question "the frog is an animal or an insect?", You can give a clear and confident answer: of course, an animal! Amphibian sizes have a wide range. The smallest is the representative of Cuba: its length is 8.5-12 mm. The largest individual from the category of amphibians is the frog-goliath, a resident of Cameroon. The weight of the most prominent caught representative of the species was 3 kg 660 grams with a total length (with elongated paws) of 87 cm. Such a large specimen lives in love "in large", preferring crystal clear water and royally, as if on a pedestal, sitting on ledges Rocks.

What feeds the frog

The lurking frog is a cunning hunter, the victim of which are moving individuals: spiders, insects, worms, slugs and fish fry. Determining with the future food moving in the field of her vision, the frog in the water lets the last closer and throws out a wide sticky tongue to which the insect sticks. The frog is able to swallow and large prey, placing it in the mouth with the help of the forelimbs. There are cases when they became victims of swallows who drank water on the fly. What does the frog eat? By fleeing, flying, crawling past her, that is, moving; The immovable object of the tailless amphibian will simply not cause any interest.

A family of tailless amphibians is most often found on the shores of water bodies in the warm season. The movements of the animal are so expressive and sharp that it immediately becomes clear where the expressions "floats like a frog" or "jumps like a frog" come from. Making a jump, the frog sharply straightens the paws; The force that arises from such a push releases the amphibian forward and upward. Landing occurs on short front legs. The frog also swims as sharply, pushing from the water with hind legs, between the fingers of which are membranes. If we return once again to clarifying the question "Is the frog an animal or an insect?", The answer is unequivocal: an animal!

Frogs: how to multiply

Reproduction in frogs occurs in the spring, after awakening from hibernation. The total number of eggs laid in different species varies from 600 to 20 thousand eggs. Nutrition for tadpoles is unicellular algae, as well as the simplest decaying animal and plant remains. Sexual maturity of the frog reaches 2-4 years of age with a total life span of 5-6 years. There have been cases when in captivity, tailless amphibians have existed for more than 10 years.

The life of frogs in nature is of genuine interest because of its unusual nature. Thus, most of them leave unattended eggs laid in the water or nearby a pond; Parental care puzzles a smaller part of the amphibians. For example, the male of the Surinamese pipa lays eggs on the back of the female, and the Darwinian male of the rhinoderm saves them in a special throat pouch from which the hatched and grown-up frogs are subsequently independently selected outside.

Features of the skin of frogs

All frogs have thin naked skin covered with mucus, which contributes to the respiratory process and prevents drying of the skin. Slime on the skin of frogs contains substances that protect them from harmful microorganisms. In some species this substance is even poisonous and is a kind of frog guard against eating them by other animals. Thus, woodworms and leafworms living in Central and South America, isolate the most deadly toxins on the planet. When on land, the moisture in the mucus evaporates, as a result of which amphibians lose a large amount of it. It is for this reason that the habitat of frogs is the most comfortable for them wet terrain. The life of a frog in nature is entertaining; An interesting fact is that amphibians do not drink water, filling the lack of its quantity through the skin. Among all this smooth-skinned brethren, a hairy frog stands prominently; Males of this species during the breeding season are covered with skin patches resembling hair. A characteristic feature of hairy frogs is also the ability to release during a danger claws, which, piercing the skin, form bones on the fingers.

Is the frog skin toxic?

By the way, the skin of poisonous frogs in ancient times served as the main component in the manufacture of poison for arrows; One specimen was enough to lubricate 500 units. The virulence of frogs can be judged by the bright, directly screaming color. So, the poison of the frog-drevolaza - the inhabitant of South America - even in the amount of 2 milligrams is capable of killing a person.

Coloring also serves to mask the animal; The leader in this area is a mossy frog that almost completely merges with the environment, even her eyes against the background of moss are barely discernible. It is this kind of frog that is very popular among exotic lovers who want to keep it as a pet. Beautiful coloring of the representative of the tropics and is valued accordingly: the cost of one individual, who knows how to climb beautifully over rocks and tall trees, reaches 75 dollars.

Amazing facts from the life of frogs

Amphibian body temperature is similar to the ambient temperature. The following fact is recorded: the tree frog living in Alaska freezes in winter to such an extent that it turns into ice. In such a frozen state, the amphibian does not breathe, the blood circulation and the work of the heart stop. With the onset of spring, the animal naturally thaws, gradually returning to normal life. Such unique amphibians, capable of carrying a low temperature, on the planet there are only a few species, most representatives of this class are not able to survive in such conditions.

Frogs have an increased ability to survive; Examples of this have been recorded many times. In 1835 an Englishman witnessed the collapse of a block of sandstone on the ground from the platform, and a frog jumped out of its cavity. And there are quite a lot of such reliable reports about the frogs embedded in hollow blocks; This only confirms the unique ability of frogs to survive in extreme conditions.

Can a frog fly?

This amphibian in the process of evolution has learned to fly, escaping in this way from enemies. Characterized by flying specimens, able to even change the flight path (sometimes reaching 12 meters), spread out long fingers with membranes. Frogs, not without the help of man, are able to set world records. So, in a specially organized for them long jump competitions held in 1977 in South Africa, the frog named Sandtzhi jumped 10.3 meters!

How do frogs communicate with each other?

Communication among themselves in frogs occurs in the range inaccessible to the human ear by using ultrasounds that are beyond the audibility of a person. This can be explained by the noisy habitat of amphibians, in which the low frequencies that are customary for humans differ with difficulty. This peculiarity in frogs is also promoted by the unusual location of the hearing organ; Eardrums are located behind the eyes, inside a special cavity. According to scientists, this arrangement of ears allows frogs to overcome water noise typical of their habitat. The most vociferous frogs are able to cover a radius of several kilometers. From the cry of the frog bull, heard for the first time and associated with the roar of a huge terrible beast, you can start off without looking back.