Frog Facts
  • Frog classification:
    • Kingdom Animalia
    • Phylum Chordata
    • Subphylum Vertebrata
    • Class Amphibia
    • Order Anura (Frogs and Toads)
  • About 2700 species of frogs exist in the world. According to the United States Biological Survey, 95 species of frogs are in North America, including 21 species of toads. To see all their names and learn more about them, go to
  • The smallest frog in the world is probably Psyllophryne didactyla, found in Brazil. Adults are only about 9.8mm.
  • The largest frog in the world is probably the Goliath Frog, from West Africa, which is 30 cm in length.
  • Some frogs can leap 20 times their body length in a single hop.
  • Most swimming frogs have webs on their rear toes.
  • Most frogs that live on trees or other plants have sticky pads on the ends of their toes that help them cling.
  • The bulging eyes of frogs allow them to see in many directions--above, below, in front, and to the sides--all at the same time.
  • Almost all frogs eat little but invertebrate animals.
  • Male frogs are smaller than females, but have bigger, stronger front feet.
  • Frogs usually lay their eggs in big masses.
  • Many frogs have poison glands in their skin.
  • Some frogs change the color of their skin with changes in light, temperature, or humidity.
  • Many frogs shed their skin several times a year. They pull off the old skin with their legs, and usually eat the old skin.
  • Frogs produce sound with their vocal cords, inside their larynx, the same as us! Many frogs have a vocal sac or sacs which swell when they call. Frogs can have one vocal sac on their throat, or two, on either side of the head. The vocal sacs make the calls louder.
  • When frogs hibernate, they breathe through their skin!
  • Bullfrogs may live to be 15 years old in captivity.
  • Frogs catch their food by flipping their sticky tongue out. Most frogs have teeth in their upper jaw.
  • Most frogs are slender with long back legs.
  • Some kinds of frogs live in water their whole lives. All need moisture, and most live near water as adults.
  • People sometimes eat frog legs. The species people usually eat in North America are the Leopard Frog, Bullfrog, and Green Frog.