Anura By The Colors Trivia Quiz

Answer: parental care

Strawberry poison-dart frogs are among the many bright, poisonous frogs native to the tropical Americas. Both males and females take care of their eggs, a relatively rare trait among amphibians. The females feed the tadpoles, while the males defend the nest and keep it hydrated.

This particular species of dart frog is also noted for its numerous color morphs. For example, the variety pictured has blue legs and is thus known as the "blue jeans" color morph.

Answer: Golden toad

The golden toad was discovered in 1964, in a very small section of Costa Rica. Most toads are drab and inconspicuous, but the golden toad was surprisingly shiny and bright. They would breed in large groups that were described as "jewels on the forest floor." In 1987, the pools that they laid their eggs in dried out, and almost none of the eggs survived the desiccation. By 1989, a lone male toad was observed in the area, and no golden toads have been sighted since then.

Answer: earless

Despite its name and brilliant coloring, the Panamanian golden frog is in fact a toad. Like many brightly-colored frogs of the Americas, its skin is toxic and was once used as poison on arrows. It is listed as critically endangered and suspected to be extinct in the wild, though many breeding facilities carry captive populations.

The Panamanian golden frog communicates to friends and rivals by waving at them; this is thought to have come about because it lives near noisy streams.

Answer: True

Like many bullfrogs, the American bullfrog is large, aggressive, and voracious. They are known to eat bats, birds, rodents, and turtles, among other things. They in turn become are a valuable food source for many animals and people (who normally only eat their legs).

Despite being native to the United States, the US is actually a net importer of frog legs. Bullfrogs have often been released in countries because they are difficult to raise in captivity. As with most such misguided endeavors, they commonly become invasive species.

Answer: diet

The blue poison dart frog is one of many small, brightly-colored frogs native to the tropical Americas. Such frogs have poisonous alkaloid glands near their skin, which can secrete toxins that can paralyze or even kill predators. The blue poison dart frog is a member of the Dentrobates genus, and despite its name is not actually used for dart poison. (Only frogs from the Phyllobates genus are used for such purposes.) They along with many poison dart frogs became a popular pet in the 1970s.

Answer: India

Believe it or not, that purple, snub-nosed blob is actually a frog. Though its tadpole form was described much earlier, its adult form was described relatively recently, in 2003. The purple frog can be found in the Western Ghats, mountains in India's Kerala district, and is classified as endangered. Purple frogs live underground for most of the year, emerging only for a few weeks to mate.

Their dissonant vocalizations are said to sound like clucking chickens.

Answer: walking

Black toads are true toads found in a very small part of the deserts of California. Unlike most frogs and toads, black toads walk instead of hop, nor are they capable of making any major sounds as they lack vocal sacs. They are always found near water, around the occasional oases in Deep Springs Valley.

Although their range is highly limited, the species is fairly plentiful with no major threats to its long-term survival.

Answer: change its color

The gray tree frog is a small tree-dwelling frog native to eastern North America. Though they start out gray, they can take on nearly all shades of it between black to white. They can slowly change their color to camouflage themselves, and are also capable of turning shades of green as well. Gray tree frogs are nocturnal, have warty skin, and are very similar in appearance to Cope's gray tree frog.

They possess a complete extra set of chromosomes, making them tetraploids (unlike mammals, which are diploids).

Answer: pregnancy

Cane toads are notorious pests, particularly in Australia, where they were introduced in an attempt to emulate their successful use in Puerto Rico as pest control. That clever plan failed pretty miserably, but they're not all bad. They are edible if prepared properly, and their skin can be made into leather.

In the mid-20th century, they were used as pregnancy tests. Their reaction to hormones in urine would be the indicator of pregnancy. You've got to wonder who came up with that bright idea to begin with.

Answer: glass frog

While primarily green, a number of glass frogs notably have clear abdomens. Though their internal organs are thus readily visible, they tend to take on the color of whatever they are surrounded by, thus providing them with a sort of instant camouflage that is especially effective from longer distances. Glass are very small, vivid frogs that live high in trees and become active at night. Males tend to be territorial. Unlike tree frogs, they have forward-facing eyes.