The species that leap the longest often use this behaviour to escape from fast predators like ocelots and jarguas by jumping straight into waters or thick brambles and brushes. Depending on the species, the leap span can range from a few yard to prodigious extents. Some species are even capable of changing their colors to match their ambient surroundings, but they often have very limited colors to change from. Most of these frogs usually have skins that are permanently spotted or streaked in neutral colors to blend them seamlessly into their surroundings. A lot of frog population in the wild rely heavily on cryptic coloration to avoid terrestrial predators.Here are some of their defensive and protective mechanisms. They use all sort of methods from behavioral, physical, to physiological mechanisms in order ward off or deal with predators. People often think that frogs have zero defensive mechanisms due to their small size, slow movement and lack of defensive structures like claws or spines, but this seemingly true notion is far from the truth.įrogs do have adaptations to predation. The Erythrolamprus epinephalus, which is a specie of snakes preys primarily on poison dart frogs, and have immunity to the extremely potent toxins they secrete on their skins.īirds of prey (particularly the heron and belted kingfisher), common otter, predatory fishes, alligators and other amphibians feed on bull frogs. Still in their tadpole stage, frogs are also preyed upon by a certain type of parasitic flatworms (Ribeiroia ondatrae) which digs into their rear, causing rearrangement of some of their internal cells which cause the affected frogs to develop one or more extra legs.įor some frog species like the leopard forgs, the mortality rate of young is high with up to 95% recorded - According to the animal diversity web. While the affected leg(s) may re-develop in some lucky frog species, in some, it doesn’t, and the resulting frog is forced to live out its normal lifespan with a reduced number of limbs. The aquatic larval stage of dragonflies is also occasionally documented to prey on one or more of the rear legs of a growing tadpole. These predators gain access to the frog eggs and tadpoles as they float continuously in large clusters near the surface of water. Frog eggs and tadpoles in particular are feasted upon by leeches, birds, dragonflies, salamanders, diving beetles, larger water bugs, spiders and small school of fishes. Prey frogs are consumed in all stages of their lifecycle. ![]() Most mammalian predators in the wild usually hunt and kill frogs as a ‘diet of last resort’: when meaty and more bulky volume of medium to larger sized animals are difficult to kill or unavailable. Some species of frogs are known to be highly poisonous when ingested into the body, but most of their natural predators are able to tolerate the noxious effect of their skins and are able to consume them perfectly whole without any issues. So many species in the wild derive sustenance from aquatic, semi-aquatic, terrestrial, arboreal and burrowing species of frogs. Insects like leeches and diving beetles eat the first and second life cycle stages of frogs: eggs and tadpoles respectively.Įven bigger and much stronger species of frogs like the African bull frog pounce and kill other smaller frogs. Reptiles like monitor lizards and garter snakes eat frogs. Mammals like ocelots, bats, raccoons and foxes eat frogs. We’ll also be listing out some of the avid and keen defensive mechanism that are used by many frog species in order to escape and ward off predators.ĭue to their very pronounced distribution across the globe, frogs are consumed by a wide variety animals worldwide. ![]() In this article, we’ll be discussing the different animal species that are known to actively prey on frogs in the wild. Other ravenous lifeforms widespread across the perimeters of the wild - from the fresh water and terrestrial habitats of the tropic regions to those of the subarctic and other land masses outside of these partitions, also depend heavily on frog species for their daily and year-round sustenance. ![]() They are not the only populations that love to enjoy the tasty nuggety legs of terrestrial and aquatic ‘Anura’. ![]() The mildly-flavored, chicken textured and fish tasting nutriments of their hind-legs is an excellent source of protein, vitamin A, potassium and omega-3 fatty acid, and this is part of the reasons why the french, chinese and other european populations have learned to incorporate them as a popular staple within their diets.īut these regions aren’t the only ones totally devoted to reducing the populations of edible frogs in their modal habitats and around the world. Each and every year, more than 3.2 billion edible frogs are harvested for their attractive muscular legs worldwide.
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