Location/Habitat Description: As tadpoles, frog's life typically begins in water, and eventually into land once it reaches adulthood. Frogs have various species, and majority are found in semi-aquatic lands. (Grassy area with water, somewhat like a pond.) Frogs can generally be found in almost any habitat, however the best place for a frog is a location with mud and LOTS of insects.
Species: (World, North America, California) Frogs can be found in every climate around the world except Antarctica. Some species include: grass frog (frog which we dissected), tree frog, Goliath frog and Poison Dart Frog (deadliest frogs in the world). FUN FACT: The shed of a Poison Dart Frog is 400x more poisonous than the bite of a King Cobra. There are around 5,000 species of frogs around the world and counting! There are about 95 species of frogs in North America alone. In California there are about 22 species of frogs. Generally, a frog can be categorized based on the location of the frog and/or physical features. For example, there is a category for frogs specifically for Tree frogs (aka Hylidae) like the Southern Cricket Frog (aka Acris gryullus) narrowing down both habitat and features of a frog.
Frog Physiology: Frogs just like humans, have different kinds of body systems: the nervous system, digestive, respiratory, and circulatory system. The nervous system contains the brain, spinal cord, and cranial, spinal, autonomic nerves. Together, the brain and spinal cord from the central nervous system. In general, a frog's nervous system controls and regulates activities of different parts of the organs of the body, while helping the frog react to external environments though various sense organs. A frog's digestive system involves the mouth, stomach, small and large intestine, and cloaca. The digestive system helps in the frog's consumption and processing of frog. Through its meal, the frog receives the nutrients and energy it needs, while still getting rid of unnecessary wastes. A frog's respiratory system consists of the frog's nostrils, mouth, and lungs. Basically, the respiratory system aids the frog when it comes to breathing underwater and on land. It helps the frog intake oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Lastly, a frog's circulatory system involves the heart, blood vessels, and blood. The circulatory system makes sure the blood is flowing through the heart and every other part of the frog's body.
Basic Ecosystem and Information: (3 examples) In an ecosystem, a frog takes its place as a secondary consumer (carnivores that feeds only on herbivores). Their typical diet consists of insects and small mammals, however the majority stick to insects. Some insects include: crickets, flies, and even butterflies. Keep in mind that there are various types of frogs around the world, and therefore frogs diet depends on the species and habitat. Generally, some of frog's predators consists of: foxes, snakes, hawks, and eagles. Frogs in general are amphibians. What does that mean? Amphibian is Greek for 'two lives' which refers to the fact that the majority of amphibians spend their larval stage as aquatic, herbivorous tadpoles, but as full grown frogs they are terrestrial carnivores.
Life Cycle: The typical life cycle of a frog begins in an egg mass. Usually, the egg takes about 6-21 days (average) to hatch. They later develop into an embryo and then into a tadpole with tale, gills, and hind legs. Immediately after hatching, the tadpoles feed on the remaining yolk of the egg the tadpole hatched from. After 6-9 weeks, tadpoles begin to grow legs and are capable of eating dead insects and plants (omnivores). The last stage would be from a Froglet (young frog) to an adult frog. As a Froglet, (12th week) the forearms and legs are already developed with the tail almost completely gone. Finally, between the 12th-16th week, the Froglet has grown into an adult and into a frog. The frog is capable of living on water, and land. Eventually, the adult frog mates with other frogs and the cycle starts all over again to create the next generation of frogs.