AY Honors/Life cycle of a frog

Template:Otheruses Template:Taxobox begin Template:Taxobox image Template:Taxobox begin placement Template:Taxobox regnum entry Template:Taxobox phylum entry Template:Taxobox classis entry Template:Taxobox ordo entry Template:Taxobox end placement Template:Taxobox section subdivision Archaeobatrachia
Mesobatrachia
Neobatrachia
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Frog is the common name for amphibians in the order Anura. There is often a distinction made between frogs and toads, based on appearance, however there is no scientific distinction. The only family exclusively given the common name "toad" is Bufonidae, but many species from various other families are also called "toads". "True frogs" are of the family Ranidae.

Distribution and status

Frogs are found nearly worldwide, but they do not occur in Antarctica and are not present on many oceanic islands.

In many parts of the world, the frog populations have declined drastically since the 1950s. Many environmental scientists feel that amphibians, and frogs in particular, may be excellent biological indicators of ecosystem function because of their location on the food web, their permeable skins and their typically bi-phasic life (in both water and on land). Although habitat loss is certainly one of the most important features of most declines; pollutants, climate change, introduction of non-indigenous predators/competitors, and infectious diseases (see Chytrid fungus) have also been implicated.

File:Dscn1922-frog.jpg

Frog skeleton

Taxonomy

Hybridisation

Many Anurans readily hybridise. For instance, the Edible Frog (Rana esculenta) is a hybrid of the Pool Frog (R. lessonae) and the Marsh Frog (R. ridibunda). Bombina bombina and Bombina variegata similarly form hybrids, although these are less fertile, giving rise to a hybrid zone.

Frogs in popular culture

Frogs feature prominently in folklore and fairy tales in many cultures, such as the story of The Frog Prince. Similarly, numerous fantasy settings (such as the Final Fantasy videogames) include magic spells that turn people into frogs, such as the frog character in the videogame Chrono Trigger.

• File:Froggunso.JPG

  Sgt. Frog (Keroro Gunso)
  Sgt. Frog (aka Sergeant Keroro [ケロロ軍曹 "Keroro Gunsō"], portrayed by Kumiko Watanabe) is a humorous frog-like alien invader who winds up on Earth in the manga and anime series of the same name created by Mine Yoshizaki in 2004. Keroro licensed product merchandise is immensely popular on both sides of the Pacific.
• The Crazy Frog is a cartoon creature resembling a frog, the character of the most downloaded ringtone in the UK.
• Probably the most famous frog in the entertainment world is the Muppet character Kermit the Frog.
• Until recently, the American TV network The WB (Warner Brothers) used Michigan J. Frog, a frog in a tuxedo as their logo. Michigan J. Frog was the singing, dancing star of the 1955 Warner cartoon, "One Froggy Evening".
• Frogger is an early electronic arcade game which features a frog that must cross a busy road and river.
• Frogs fall from the sky in various urban myths and notably in the movie Magnolia. This may derive from incidents when frogs are picked up by a tornado, or when a sudden migration of frogs happens overnight.
• The character Jiraiya in the manga/anime series Naruto calls himself the Frog-Hermit. He has an established blood contract with them and can summon them whenever he chooses.

External links

• The Whole Frog Project - Virtual frog dissection and anatomy
• Disappearance of toads, frogs has some scientists worried - San Francisco Chronicle, April 20, 1992
• The Lily Pad - Frog information, care, and culture
• Racing Frogs Game - Create, Train, Motivate and Feed your own little froggy friend
• The Froggy Page - Frog fun
• Dart Den - Dart frog resource and forums
• Xenbase - A Xenopus laevis and tropicalis Web Resource
• Time-lapse video showing the egg's development until hatching
• FrogsShort video clips of calling frogs and interviews with scientists about frog issues, including declining and malformed frog causes