Frog Prey:
Frogs are interesting eaters. In the simplest sense they are carnivores. But some may also eat fruits and frogs can range from generalists to specialists, active predators to sit-and-wait predators or some convenient combination of these characteristics. Even within species individuals may have a different diet depending on where they are at, like dragonflies at ponds and crayfish at rivers for example. In many cases a frog will sit in a place frequently visited by its prey and just let the food come to it. This strategy isn’t too shabby, because frogs eat a lot when they are not hibernating or estivating. Pretty much if the food comes in front of the frog and within two body lengths the frog can catch it dead on. Frogs will eat almost anything they can stuff in and swallow. They won’t even wait for the prey to be dead first. But, that doesn’t mean they’ll just eat everything. Some species are selective about their prey, they may eat or reject insects that don’t have the right stuff, like size and speed. All a frog has to do is flick out its tongue and its victim is toast. Frogs depending on size and species may eat insects, various invertebrates, other frogs, fish, and small birds and mammals. If the prey isn’t close enough the frog can hop while it flicks out its tongue to close the distance. Some species lack tongues. How do they cope? They use their forearms and hands of course. Once in range the frog leaps out and grabs hold of the prey, pushing it into its mouth. For aquatic frog species, some may slurp in the prey and out the water. Frogs are smart hunters too. They use almost all their senses to help them detect their next meal. It only takes the slightest movement for a frog to notice a passing insect.
Frog Predators:
Frogs have an enormous amount of predators at their doorstep. From the time the egg is released from the female it is already at risk of predation. Crabs, spiders, wasps…to skunks, snakes, crocodiles, monkeys, humans, and other frogs, there is a very long list of species that eat frogs. Some even specialize in the type of frog they eat. With this daunting number of predators frogs need to come up with their own way of fighting off predation. One device frogs have is calling. Frogs have their own warning calls against predators. The down side is that some predators use a frog’s calls to actually help them locate their prey. Some species may even try to startle the predator for a second, long enough for them to make their escape. For this technique, skin patterns are used. The frog may have colors on top that help it blend into its surroundings, but if detected some of these species expose their colorful bellies and stun the predator with this unexpected display. From the beginning frogs try to give some of their young a chance at survival by producing a large number of eggs so that few may survive to adulthood. And let’s not forget what a frog is so well known for, its jump. Frogs use their jumps to quickly get away from a predator, and, if the jump’s gap is big enough, to break up their chemical trail so the predator loses their scent. Frogs may have a vast number of predators after them, but they would not still be here if they were not cunning enough to find ways to survive.
Works Cited:
Behler, J. L., & Behler, D. A. (2005). Frogs: A chorus of colors. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
Beltz, E. (2005). Frogs: inside their remarkable world. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books Ltd.
Forsyth, A. (2008). Nature of the rainforest: Costa Rica and beyond. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.
Gamlin, L., & Rohan, A. (1998). Mysteries of the rain forest. New York: The Reader’s Digest Association Limited.
Mongabay.com
Rhett A. Butler - San Francisco, CA.
1999-2008.
Mongabay.com
Rhett A. Butler - San Francisco, CA.
1999-2008.