Common frog
Classification
The Common Frog, Rana temporaria also known as the European Common
Frog or European Common Brown Frog is found throughout much of
Europe as far north as well north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and as
far east as the Urals, except for most of Iberia, southern Italy, and the
southern Balkans.
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Amphibia
Order:
Anura
Family:
Ranidae
Genus:
Rana
Species: R. temporaria
Adult Common Frogs will feed on any invertebrate of a suitable size, although they do not feed at all during the
breeding season. Foods include insects (especially flies), snails, slugs and worms. Their feeding habits change
significantly throughout their lives; whereas older frogs will feed only on land, younger frogs will also feed in the
water. Tadpoles are mostly herbivores, feeding on algae, detritus and some plants, although they will also eat
other animals in small amounts.
Outside the breeding season, common frogs live a solitary life in damp places near ponds or marshes or in long
grass. They are normally active for much of the year, only hibernating in the coldest months, sometime between
August and early June depending on latitude and altitude. In the most northern extremities of their range they
may be trapped under ice for up to nine months of the year, but recent studies have shown that in these
conditions they may be relatively active at temperatures close to freezing.
In the British Isles, common frogs typically hibernate from late October to January. They will re-emerge as early as
February if conditions are favourable, and migrate to bodies of water such as garden ponds to spawn. Where
conditions are harsher, such as in the Alps, they emerge as late as early June. Common frogs hibernate in running
waters, muddy burrows, or in layers of decaying leaves and mud at the bottom of ponds. The oxygen uptake
through the skin suffices to sustain the needs of the cold and motionless frogs during hibernation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Frog
Dorsal view of
the common frog
1.
2.
3.
4.
6.
5.
7.
8.
1.
Brow spot
2.
Manus
3.
External nares
4.
Nictating membrane of the
eye
9.
10.
11.
12.
5.
Forelimb
6.
Tympanic membrane
7.
Antebrachium
8.
Brachium
9.
Trunk
10. Dorsolateral dermal plica
11. Thigh
12. Anus
13.
13. Crus
14.
14. Pes
15. Toes
15.
The organs of the common
frog, ventral view
1. Tongue
2. Mouth
3. Oesophagus
4. Stomach
5. Spleen
6. Small intestine
7. Large intestine
8. Bladder
9. Ventral abdominal vein
10. Dorsal aorta
11. Kidney
12. Liver
13. Heart
14. Lung
15. Truncus arteriosus
16. Bulbus arteriosus
17. Duodenum
18. Pylorus