Wild About Frogs !

Chorus Frog | Spring Peeper | Pickerel Frog | Wood Frog | Blanchard Cricket Frog | Gray Frog | Green Frog | Leopard Frog | Bullfrog | American Toad

Frogs and toads do not cause warts.

The largest Illinois anuran is the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, which can attain a snout-to-vent length of 15 cm (6 inches).

The smallest Illinois anuran is the cricket frog, Acris crepitans, which averages 2 cm (1 inch) snout-to-vent length.

The average frog can leap a distance equal to ten times its body length.

Most burrowing frogs dig with their hind legs, but the Illinois chorus frog, Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis, is one of only a few burrowing species that digs with its front legs.

The diet of the eastern narrowmouth toad, Gastrophryne carolinensis, consists almost exclusively of ants.

The long tongue of frogs and toads is folded in half when stored in the mouth. When extended for capturing prey, the tongue unfolds and is flipped out rather than being cast out straight.

The Illinois chorus frog, Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis, can hunt for food while it is underground. It probably eats a variety of insect larvae, such as cutworms (moth larvae), that it finds in its sandy burrows.

Bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana, are famous for their incredible eating habits. They will attempt to eat anything that moves -- that they can at least partially swallow. They have been known to eat baby ducks, small mammals, other bullfrogs, and snakes.

The treefrogs of Illinois have a sticky cup at the end of each toe that allows them to climb vertical surfaces such as windows and tree trunks. Treefrogs may be found in branches more than fifty feet off the ground.

A female bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, can lay over 20,000 eggs in a thin film measuring two feet by two feet.

Some Illinois frogs, such as the wood frog, Rana sylvatica, accumulate glycerol in their body tissues. The glycerol acts as an antifreeze, allowing them to survive subfreezing temperatures.