Frogs Are Fascinating! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Amphibian

The word amphibian comes from the Greek "amphi", which means "both", and "bios", which means "life". What does that mean? Well, frogs begin their lives in one place, and, as they mature, move to another. Amphibians live all over the world - except for Antarctica - and also include newts and salamanders. About 90% of them, however, are frogs.

The frog pictured is a Panamanian Golden frog.

Answer: Water

While a frog may lay its eggs on pond plants, they choose plants or leaves that are in the water. Why? Frog eggs are covered with a jelly-like substance and require constant moisture so they don't dry out. As the young frogs hatch, they breathe underwater and swim as well, so living in the water is the only way they can survive. And - they require fresh water, not saltwater.

Answer: Frogspawn

Frogs can lay as many as 4,000 eggs at one time, always choosing calm water, in hopes that some will hatch and develop. After the female lays the eggs, the male will fertilize them. Frogspawn is laid together in a mass, and as the eggs grow, they can be seen floating in the water. On average, it takes about three weeks for the eggs to hatch into tadpoles.

Answer: Metamorphosis

When frog eggs hatch, tadpoles emerge. Tadpoles normally begin to swim in 7-10 days. By the fourth week of life they become social and can be spotted swimming together. By weeks 6-9 they begin to form 2 legs (tadpoles with 2 legs) and then 2 more (tadpoles with 4 legs). By week 12 they are froglets, smaller versions of what they will become when they are adults - except with a tail - which they lose as they become adult frogs.

Answer: Gills

Adult frogs have lungs to breathe, but their larva, or tadpoles, do not. As they swim, tadpoles take water into their mouth. When they close their mouth, the water goes to their gills, which take the needed oxygen out of the water. As the tadpoles mature, lungs develop and they lose their gills. Frogs not only breathe oxygen with their lungs, but they also take in oxygen through their skin. Because they take in oxygen two ways, frogs are said to have bimodal breathing.

This type of breathing allows frogs to live both on land and in water.

Answer: Weekly

Typically, on the average, a frog sheds his skin once a week. There are some, however, that might shed daily. Shedding or sloughing their skin keeps it from getting too hard. They secrete a mucus that helps, but if they dry out, not enough oxygen will pass through their skin and they will suffocate. Their skin is important: it protects them, helps them breathe, and absorbs water. The skin usually splits down their back and across their belly. Then the frog frees its arms and legs. What do they do with it? Why, they eat it, of course! A frog's skin contains very nutritious protein.

The frog pictured is a Rocket frog.

Answer: True

Strange, but true! It is one of the reasons - the other is to help them see better when they are swimming - that their eyes are on the top of their heads. They catch the food with their long tongues and then blink, which pushes their eyeballs down on top of their mouth and moves their food down their throat.

The frog in the picture is a Red-eyed tree frog.

Answer: True

The reason that adult frogs must live near water is that they absorb the water through their skin. They have a drinking patch on the underside of their belly that allows this process to occur. Instead, frogs use their long, sticky tongues to catch food, which is mainly insects.

This Asiatic Painted frog is eating termites.

Answer: Glass frog

Although his back is typically a lime green color, the underside of a glass frog is transparent. It is possible to see its liver and other internal organs, and even its beating heart. Living in Mexico, Central, and South America, this little fellow is only 1-3 inches long and lives most of its life in trees.

Answer: Number of limbs

Actually, toads are a type of frog, but while frogs must live near water, toads spend more time on land. Both lay eggs close to the water; frogs lay eggs in a mass and toads lay eggs in a long chain. (Some toads do give live birth to young toads). Toads have no teeth, while frogs typically have teeth on their upper jaw. And, of course, frogs have smooth, slimy skin, while toads have thick, rough skin. Both toads and frogs, however, have four limbs.

It is rare to see toads in the stance seen in the picture, but raising up on their legs is a defensive stance. The toad in the photo is a Common toad.