How toads breed. Toads and frogs - about their benefits in the garden

Few people love amphibians: it’s good if a frog or a toad is simply bypassed, but often they try to harm the animal! Unmotivated aggression on the part of a person can only be explained by his narrow-mindedness - it is strange to want to offend such an animal as an earthen toad, if you know at least a little about him.

An amphibian with a bad reputation

Dislike for toads goes through generations. Even in the Middle Ages, these animals were treated with special contempt and fear. In all civilized countries, it was believed that touching a toad is certain death. Moreover, the poison secreted by the toad through the skin allegedly acted as the cause of death.

Also, her deceit and danger to our ancestors was that a person could become a kind of incubator for them. They explained it this way: with bad or untreated water, you can drink toad eggs, and already in the stomach they will hatch safely and begin active life. For modern man it sounds crazy, but before this condition was very actively treated.

Science has proven that a toad poses no danger to humans. Yes, in the event of an extreme situation for itself, the ground toad can release a special protective secret from the skin, but it rather plays a deterrent role and will not cause any harm.

Toad or frog: how to distinguish?

For many people, it is a fundamental question: who exactly did they meet, is it a frog or a toad? And although neither one nor the other carries a danger, it is not difficult to distinguish between them.

• The toad is more different large size: An adult can reach 15 centimeters in length.
• The body of the toad is loose, the contours are indistinctly outlined. The head is rather low pressed to the ground.
• The skin can have a shade from earthy gray to dark green. It has a large number of warts, tubercles and glands.
• A toad, unlike a frog, cannot jump. She confidently goes to the goal.

Most often, people meet amphibians on vacation near water bodies or in yards where there is a constant source of moisture. So, the earthen toad usually feels great in the garden - it is there that summer residents often meet her and are unreasonably frightened.

Life and habits

Like other amphibians, toads hibernate during the season when temperatures drop. So that no one disturbs the process of waiting for heat, they burrow into the soil to a depth of 10 centimeters, hide under the rhizomes of trees and stumps, and can even use abandoned rodent burrows.

AT warm time Toads are active at night. At this time, they go out in search of food: you can often meet a toad on a summer evening in places lit by lanterns.

Quite interesting is the answer to the question of how earth toads breed. First of all, these animals cannot do this without water: it is in the reservoir that they spawn.

Toad caviar has a special appearance - it resembles a long thin cord. Such cords lie on the bottom of the reservoir or can be braided around algae. Sometimes the length of such cords reaches 5-8 meters!

The tadpoles that emerge from the eggs do not surface for the first time. They live at the bottom, eating small algae and what is left of dying animals and plants. Tadpoles develop quite quickly, and after 50-60 days a full-fledged green or ground toad may appear on land.

Fear or help for the gardener?

What to do if you suddenly met an earthen toad in the garden or in the garden? Is it possible to touch it, will it spoil the crop? Or maybe he will bring friends and there will be nowhere to hide from the toads?

In order to answer the question of what toads do in a garden or vegetable garden, you need to find out what earthen toads eat.

Insects are their main food. They do not disdain caterpillars, various centipedes, as well as snails. A toad cannot be frightened by bright colors or unusual view insect. Seeing the object for breakfast, the toad waddles towards its goal.

What is the benefit for the gardener? The most direct! Ground toad is a great organic way to control pests and crop eaters. She is such a nurse of crops, who goes out in the evenings to bypass the entrusted territory.

Therefore, having met this amphibian on your way or in the garden, you do not need to become like medieval Europeans and run for an “anti-toad” antidote or pesticide. Do not hit the animal and do not stomp on it: give way, because it goes about its important business, performing its natural function. And the side effect of it is the benefit to humans.

The lake frog is a typical inhabitant of water bodies, although it can sometimes move away from them at a distance of up to 20 meters. The frog spends most of the day in the water or sitting on the shore; at night it prefers to hunt on land, in coastal thickets.

The main food of adult individuals of lake frogs is insects, but sometimes they can also eat vertebrates - fish, tree frogs, moor frogs, snakes, small chicks and mammals - shrews and voles. They can also eat their own juveniles. Ground forages make up from 68 to 95%.

Spawning in the lake frog is very extended and is produced in portions, forming separate lumps or heaps. The development of eggs, depending on the temperature, lasts 7-10 days, larvae (tadpoles) - 55-85 days. Optimum temperature environment for tadpoles - 18-28 ° C. Life expectancy in nature is b-7 years.

Maintenance and care of the lake frog

To keep the lake frog at home, it is recommended to use a 30-40 liter aquaterrarium or an aquarium filled with water, but with pieces of wood or foam floating on its surface, so that your pet can spend the necessary part of the time outside the water. On this impromptu "land" it is best to throw the stem and leaves of some aquatic plant so that the lake frog can hide from the light in them. Plants that grow directly in the water are naturally welcome in every possible way.

The lake frog is not demanding on living conditions in vivo, so if you decide to keep it at home, you can change the water only once a week by one third, and once a month - entirely. Additional lighting and heating are not required. Source:

You can feed the lake frog at home with bloodworms, cockroaches, crickets, flies, tubifex, etc., occasionally you can offer small pieces of finely chopped meat.

moor frog

Description of the moor frog (Rana arvalis)

- very numerous species of our fauna, reaches a length of 78 mm. The back is brown or grayish with dark spots, the belly is white or yellowish, usually without spots. The throat is whitish, often marbled. The moor frog spends all the time, including wintering, on land. Only for the breeding season moves to the reservoir. It feeds on terrestrial insects and invertebrates.

Spawning at moor frog produced in a very short time. Males spend only 20-25 days in water bodies. Females arrive later than them and leave earlier, immediately after they lay their eggs. One female lays 500-2750 eggs.

At low temperatures, sometimes even with the formation of a crust of ice over the masonry, the development of eggs continues for 8-10 days. The development of larvae takes an average of 60-65 days, and in the tundra zone no more than 45-55 days.

Description of grass frog (Rana temporaria)

differs from the moor in larger sizes - up to 10 cm long, a blunt muzzle, a marble-like pattern on the abdomen and a low calcaneal tubercle.

grass frog

The common frog is more cold-resistant, demanding on moisture. Most active in the evening and morning twilight. Prefers to spend time in natural shelters - behind grass mounds, stones, rotten stumps, fallen branches, in tall grass, etc. It feeds on various invertebrates, two-winged insects, caterpillars, spiders. Also, as in some other types of frogs, there are cases of eating their own kind.

Frogs, which every person associates with loud croaking and a warm season, are tailless - the largest detachment amphibians. The habitat of some individuals is exclusively land, other species of frogs recognize living only in water, some - both. There are also those living in trees and capable of planning at a distance of up to 15 meters.

The most comfortable for representatives of amphibians are places with increased dampness - moist forests, meadows, swamps, shores of freshwater reservoirs. Almost every corner of the earth is inhabited by these big-eyed creatures, of which there are more than 5,000 species on the planet. The highest density is recorded in the tropical zone. Many nature lovers have always wondered: what is it, a frog? What does it eat? Where does he live?

External description of the frog

Frogs are characterized by a short body. The absence of a neck as such allows the anuran to tilt its head only slightly, at the top of which are two bulging eyes and nostrils. What does a frog eat in a pond? What kind of lifestyle does he lead? And why does it blink so often? The organs of vision of the frog are protected by eyelids: the upper one is leathery and the lower one is transparent and mobile. The private blinking characteristic of them is due to the protection against drying out of the surface of the eyes, which are wetted by the moist skin of the eyelids. This feature is caused by the terrestrial way of life of the frog. For comparison, fish - permanent residents of a humid environment - do not have eyelids, so they do not blink at all. The visual feature of frogs is their ability to simultaneously see everything that happens in front, above and to the side. At the same time, they never, even during sleep, close their eyes for a long time.

Outside, behind each eye, there is an outer ear covered with skin - the inner frog is located directly in the skull.

Frog skin properties

The green frog inhales air with lungs that are poorly developed in it, and with skin that has great value in the respiratory process. For this species of amphibians, an absolutely dry environment is detrimental, as it causes the skin to dry out and certain death as a result. AT aquatic environment the frog completely switches to breathing with the skin.

Our ancestors believed that frog skin had bactericidal properties, so they threw these animals into milk so that it would not turn sour. By the way, the frog does not drink at all, and water from the external environment enters its body with food and through the skin, which, due to skin secretions of a mucous consistency, is constantly wet. Based on the foregoing, questions arise: "What is it that stands out among other representatives of the fauna? common frog? What does it eat? How to hunt prey?

The frog has well-formed limbs, each of which consists of three main sections, linked together with the help of movable joints. In the front paws, this is the shoulder, forearm and hand, ending with 4 fingers (the fifth is underdeveloped). The back part consists of a foot with 5 fingers connected by swimming membranes, a lower leg and a thigh. The hind legs, which play the main role in movement, are several times stronger and longer than the front ones, while the forelimbs serve as a kind of softening shock absorbers when jumping.

The body temperature of an amphibian directly depends on the temperature of the external environment, rising in warm weather and falling in cold weather. Just like they are cold-blooded animals. Therefore, when it gets cold, they lose activity and tend to take refuge in a warmer place, and in winter time fall into hibernation.

Frog: what does it eat

The diet of these anurans is quite extensive and consists of individuals surrounding it. Therefore, through logical thinking and careful observation, one can understand what the frog eats in the pond. These are mainly beetles, mosquitoes, flies, spiders, worms, snails, caterpillars, small crustaceans and sometimes fry.

Some of the victims have a hard shell, which the frog copes with with its teeth. Frogs hunt exclusively for moving prey, sitting in a secluded place and patiently waiting for the future dinner. Noticing a potential victim, the huntress immediately throws out a long wide tongue from her mouth, to which she sticks.

Frog: types

Tailless amphibians are divided into three types: and tree frogs.

Frogs are characterized by smooth, slightly bumpy skin, swimming membranes on the hind limbs and teeth located on the upper jaw. The most respectable representative of this species is the goliath frog, which mainly lives in West Africa. Its length is up to 1 meter, and its weight is about 3 kg. Impressive dimensions! Such a frog strikes the eye. What eats such a large individual, capable of jumping up to 3 meters? The goliath frog feeds on its little cousins, spiders and scorpions, and can live up to 15 years. Her lack of a vocal resonator is compensated by excellent hearing.

The size of the smallest frogs living in Cuba is from 8.5 to 12 mm.

pond frog

In the central regions of Europe, the pond green frog is the most common, differing from its counterparts only in its smaller size.

The belly, devoid of spots, has a white or yellowish color, the color of the back is gray-green or bright green. A favorite habitat is small ponds with stagnant water and semi-aquatic flora. It prefers a daytime lifestyle, feels comfortable both on land and in water, which allows it to equally consume oxygen through the skin and lungs. To move on land, he uses fast jumps, from danger he tries to hide in a reservoir. They usually come out of hibernation in April-May, when the external temperature is 12 o C and the water temperature is 10 o C.

At the beginning of awakening, their activity is low, after two to three weeks, as the water warms up, reproduction begins in the reservoir. One female can lay up to 3000 eggs, from which a frog larva develops within a week. Full cycle its reincarnation into an adult is about 2 months.

Frog life in nature

The frog tadpole feeds on microscopic algae, and a little later - insect larvae. Frogs reach sexual maturity in the third year of life. Their life span in natural conditions reaches 6-12 years. With the onset of a cold snap, the frogs leave for the winter, preferring to burrow into the silt. Sometimes they can hide on land, for example, in a rodent hole. For example, grass frogs spend the winter at the bottom of non-freezing reservoirs, at the headwaters of streams and rivers, gathering in tens and hundreds of individuals. for wintering chooses cracks in the earth's crust.

Toads and tree frogs: differences

Toads are characterized by their lack of teeth and bumpy skin that is darker and drier than frogs. The largest individual in the world - the toad-aga - is also one of the most poisonous among its brethren.

Its weight can reach 2 kg. The smallest toad has a length of 2.4 cm. Representatives of this species prefer to exist on land, descending to the water only during the mating season.

Tree frogs are the smallest representatives of the three described species of frogs. They differ from the rest by the presence of expanded discs on the fingers, helping them to climb up. Some species can fly, which helps them escape from enemies.

Amazing types of frogs

Like many representatives of the fauna, there are unique specimens among frogs.

So, in India there is a rainbow frog, which is the object of worship. She lives in the house of Reggie Kumar. Its unusualness lies in its constantly changing color, which attracts a large number of people who want to look at this miracle and pray to him.

It can be easily studied by its endangered species - Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum. Otherwise, it is called glass, or transparent, since through the skin you can see its insides.

From the poison dart frogs of the Central and South America I would like to highlight the coloring poison dart frog, in particular, its blue subspecies. Unlike other brethren, it is active even in the daytime and almost always has a bright color.

Many tree frogs are on the verge of extinction. Dart frogs are somewhat poisonous, which has been successfully used by using their poison for their arrows.

The Vietnamese marsh frog, which lives in tropical and subtropical forests, is often an item of domestic exotic, in value terms it is estimated from 45 to 75 dollars. It is also called mossy in connection with the unusual structure of the skin, which looks like rocky moss. Also, this appearance is an excellent disguise.

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People's rumors are unfair to them. From time immemorial, man has been stubbornly spreading rumors that a toad is a despicable and even dangerous creature, that one touch to it is fraught with at least a wart and, at a maximum, death. Meanwhile, it is difficult to find an amphibian on Earth that would bring such obvious benefits to humans as the ground toad.

Description of the ground toad

Range, habitats

To live earth toads choose wet places but not necessarily near bodies of water. They only need water to spawn.

Important! Due to the diversity of species, the range of presence ground toads, practically ubiquitous. These amphibians are found on all continents. The only exception, for obvious reasons, is Antarctica.

The rest of the time, toads prefer damp cellars, freshly dug, still wet ground, crevices in the mountains, low thickets of grass in floodplains, rainforests. But! There are species that live both in the steppes and in arid deserts.

Ground toad diet

The main dish of the usual menu of the ground toad is insects. She gladly adds snails, worms, caterpillars, centipedes to them. Does not shun insect larvae and spiders. This not very picky glutton is not confused by the bright, warning colors of some insects or their unusual appearance. The ground toad is an excellent and very effective assistant to a person in the fight against agricultural pests.

A real nurse of crops, a night guardian of the harvest. For a day, one earthen toad eats up to 8 g of insects in the garden! large species earth toads are able to get their livelihood and a lizard, a snake, a small rodent. Toads reflexively react to moving objects, but poorly distinguish between movements in one plane, such as grass vibrations.