Download This Sample
This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!
To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download!
Sign Me Up
Table of Contents
The frog is a tailless amphibian that differs from reptiles because they don’t have scales. They can be found on every continent except for Antarctica and all toads are also actually frogs.
See the fact file below for more information on Frog, or you can download our 28-page Frog worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
ORIGIN
- The frogs evolved between 290 and 305 million years ago, with the split between Anura and Caudata occurring around 292 million years ago.
- Although the dinosaurs, along with 75 percent of life on Earth, were wiped out by an asteroid 200 million years ago, 88 percent of frogs thrived after the dinosaurs went extinct.
- Frog anatomy undergoes profound transformations during metamorphosis. Frogs are related to other amphibians such as salamanders in that they are both cold-blooded, born in water, and can live on land as adults.
- What distinguishes frogs from other amphibians is that they lose their tails as adults, hence the name “Anura,” which means “tailless” in Greek.
ANATOMY
- A frog’s anatomy and parts primarily consist of its skeleton, heart, tongue, and legs. The skeleton is a bony framework that supports and protects the frog’s body.
- With the exception of an expanded area that encases the small brain, a frog’s skull is flat.
- The frog heart, known as the pericardium, is the only organ enclosed within the coelom that has its own protective layer.
- The frog heart, unlike those of other animals and humans, has only one lower chamber, a single ventricle.
- A frog is covered by a soft, thin, and moist covering that not only protects the frog but also aids in respiration.
- A frog breathes by opening its mouth and letting air enter its windpipe.
- However, it can breathe with its mouth closed.
- When the nostrils open, the floor of the mouth is lowered, eventually causing the frog’s throat to “puff out,” and air enters the enlarged mouth.
- Digestion begins in the frog’s mouth. It has toothless, practically useless teeth.
- These are only found in the upper jaw. The tip of its tongue is normally rolled up back towards the throat.
- From this position, the frog can quickly flick it out to grab any passing prey. The tongue is sticky in order to better grasp this prey.
- A frog has four legs, with the hind legs located in the back and being much longer and more muscular than the forelimbs, allowing frogs to leap and jump when searching for food or fleeing predators.
- Meanwhile, each of their forelimbs has four toes, and each of their hind limbs has five toes separated by webbing. Some frogs, on the other hand, have webbed feet for swimming or gliding (often aquatic frogs), whereas others have padded toes for climbing (often tree frogs) or spayed toes for digging (often terrestrial frogs).
LIFE CYCLE
- The life cycle of a frog is divided into three stages, which consist of the egg phase, the larval or tadpole stage, froglet stage, and adulthood.
- The frog goes through these stages as it grows, a process known as metamorphosis.
- The female frog lays a large number of eggs while the sperm of the male frog acts as a fertilizer as she deposits them.
- These eggs clump together into groups known as frogspawn.
- As the fertilized frog eggs mature, the yolk from each egg divides into more and more cells, eventually forming a tadpole, or frog larva, in which these larvae of frogs have primitive gills, a mouth, and a long tail.
- To get the nutrition it needs for the first week or two after hatching, the tadpole absorbs the egg’s remaining yolk, which helps the tadpole grow strong enough to swim on its own.
- Tadpoles will begin to migrate towards land after sprouting front legs and transforming into young frogs, also known as froglets. Young frogs mature, lose their tails, and become adult frogs capable of reproducing after 2 to 4 years, depending on the species.
- Adult frogs are at the end of their life cycle and can reproduce to restart the cycle. Adult frogs have lost their tails, can live on land, breathe through their lungs, and are obligate carnivores.
HABITAT
- Some species of frogs mainly live in three different habitats.
- The first is water, where aquatic frogs live; the second is trees, where arboreal frogs live; and the third is the land, where terrestrial frogs live.
- Frog species that live in desert environments, on the other hand, burrow into the ground during the dry season.
- They soon enter a dormant state known as estivation before returning to the surface during the rainy season.
COMMON KINDS
- True frogs are members of the Ranidae family and are found all over the world. These are the frogs that you might see in your backyard near small bodies of water like rivers, ponds, or streams. This frog family contains over 600 different species.
- American bullfrogs can be a mix of green and brown, with yellow or white color changes on their underbellies. They are the largest frogs in North America, reaching lengths of up to eight inches (20 cm). However, their size varies according to where they live.
- Wood frogs can reach lengths of 1.5 to 3.25 inches (3.8 to 8.2 cm). Because they live in colder climates, wood frogs have a clever adaptation that enables them to freeze in the winter and thaw out when spring arrives.
- Poison dart frogs are distinguished by their vibrant colors and distinctive patterns. Poison dart frogs, as the name implies, are poisonous, and studies suggest that the toxins are derived from their diet of formicine ants.
- Yellow-banded poison frogs are distinguished by the presence of yellow bands that cross over their black bodies. As the frogs age, the yellow bands separate and turn into spots.
- Strawberry poison dart frogs vary in size from 0.5-0.75 inches (17-to-24 mm). Their name accurately describes their appearance, as the large percentage of their body is red with black speckles, resembling a strawberry.
CONSERVATION
- Human activity, such as deforestation, urbanization, roads separating migration areas, agriculture, surface drainage systems, pollution, diseases, invasive species, human intervention, and climate change, is endangering frogs. Frogs are critically endangered in 500 of the 2,000 to 3,000 species that are threatened.
- There are several ways to help prevent frog population declines, and breeding is one method of providing assistance to frogs. To avoid extinction, endangered frogs should be included in conservation breeding programs as soon as possible.
- While pesticides have many advantages in the garden, they are not good for frog health. Herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides are all capable of causing illness, deformity, and even death in frogs.
- They can also harm the environment by removing food sources for frogs, so try to use organic gardening methods instead. Using compost can also help to attract insects, frogs, and a healthy garden.
- Local natural areas within the city should be protected to the greatest extent possible.
Frog Worksheets
This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Frog across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Frog, a tailless amphibian that can be found on every continent except for Antarctica.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.
- Frogs Facts
- Frog Anatomy
- This Frog’s Life
- Biggest and Smallest
- What does the Frog Say?
- The Many Frogs
- Frog Feature
- Think about it!
- The Mouse, the Frog and the Hawk
- The Ass and the Frogs
- Frog Origami
- Motivationals
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a frog?
A frog is a cold-blooded amphibian that has smooth, moist skin and long hind legs adapted for jumping and swimming. They are found all over the world, from rainforests to deserts, and come in a variety of sizes and colors.
What do frogs eat?
Frogs are carnivorous, and their diet usually consists of insects, spiders, worms, snails and other small animals. Some larger species of frogs may also eat small fish, crustaceans and even small mammals.
What is the life cycle of a frog?
Frogs have a unique life cycle that includes three stages: egg, tadpole, and adult. They lay eggs in water, and the eggs hatch into tadpoles which have gills and a tail. As they grow, they develop legs and lungs, and eventually metamorphose into adult frogs.
Why are frogs important?
Frogs play an important role in the ecosystem as they control the population of insects, spiders, worms and other small animals that they eat. They are also important indicators of the health of their environment, as changes in frog populations can signal problems with water quality, pollution and other environmental factors.
Are all frogs green?
No, not all frogs are green. They come in a variety of colors including brown, gray, black, red, yellow and blue. Some frogs also have patterns on their skin such as spots, stripes or bands. The color and patterns of a frog’s skin can help them to camouflage and protect them from predators.
Link/cite this page
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.
Link will appear as Frog Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 10, 2023
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.