Frog Habitats
Frogs are hardy animals and have adapted over hundreds of thousands of years to live in a variety of habitats. One of the reasons frogs have survived so well through climate changes, habitat loss, and other threats to frog populations is their ability to reproduce in high numbers. This high volume of sexual reproduction results in a great deal of genetic diversity, which is on of the reasons so many different species of frogs exist all around the world. Lets get a small sample of the great diversity of frogs and the habitats they live in. Continue reading below:
Grasslands
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People typically don't think of frogs as being dwellers of vast plains and grasslands. However, many frogs call this biome their home, such as the Spotted Burrowing Frog, or Neobatrachus sudelli, seen in the picture to the left. These frogs may have ended up in these regions in their search for food and attempt to escape a predation. Others may have adapted as old swamps and wetlands dried up and grassland plant and animal species took over. Whatever their story, don't expect to see these frogs on a nice sunny day. They typically only emerge following a large rainstorm as to prevent their moist skin from drying out.
Rainforest
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The rainforest brings a great amount of diversity to all lifeforms such as trees, mammals, reptiles, insects, and more. However, one of the phyla that has found great success and is very diverse is that of amphibians; in specific, the frog. In the tropical rainforest of Queensland, Australia, scientists have discovered 790 different species of frogs and 40 genera (Cogger and Zweifel 1998). These frogs have great variety of ways to camoflauge themselves agains the forest background and/or protect themselves with their great leaping and climbing abilities or deadly poisons.
Temperate Forest
According to research done by Marietta College Department of Biology and Ecology, the American Toad (Bufo americanus) is one of the signature species of the temperate forests of North America. According to the Whittaker Biome Diagram (right), temperate forests have an annual average temperature ranging from 0-20 degrees Celcius and anywhere from 50-250cm of rain. These frogs truely know how to survive some diverse climates.
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