New species of voiceless frog discovered in Tanzania
Researchers discovered a new species of frog in Africa that has an unusual trait: it's completely silent.
Researchers discovered a new species of frog in Africa that has an unusual trait: it's completely silent.
Plants & Animals
Feb 3, 2023
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735
Flooding in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin is creating ideal breeding conditions for many native species that have evolved to take advantage of temporary flood conditions.
Plants & Animals
Jan 18, 2023
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5
A new study by a Western Sydney University researcher has explored a lethal fungal pathogen causing widespread biological disruption for frogs, assessing how responses differ by species across the globe.
Plants & Animals
Jan 17, 2023
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2
Lizards that once dwelled in forests but now slink around urban areas have genetically morphed to survive life in the city, researchers have found.
Plants & Animals
Jan 14, 2023
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35
Now you see them, now you don't.
Plants & Animals
Dec 25, 2022
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23
An accidental sting has helped Japanese scientists prove some male wasps have a rather unusual predator defence weapon: penis spikes.
Plants & Animals
Dec 25, 2022
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5
Glassfrogs make themselves transparent while they rest by taking red blood cells from circulation and concealing them in their livers. A multi-disciplinary team of biologists and biomedical engineers has shown how these frogs ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 22, 2022
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965
When the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged, many wildlife disease researchers like me were not too surprised. Some were intrigued it hadn't happened sooner; after all, it is our job to observe, describe and study pandemic dynamics ...
Ecology
Dec 19, 2022
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2
Female bees and wasps use modified ovipositors, formerly used in egg laying, to sting their attackers, including people. Now, a study in Current Biology on December 19 shows that male mason wasps use sharp genital spines ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 19, 2022
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19
Taxonomists are working against the clock to discover and catalog new species before they disappear, to make it possible to protect our planet's remaining biodiversity. Major strides are needed to move towards completing ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 15, 2022
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39
Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura (meaning "tail-less", from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). The name frog derives from Old English frogga, (compare Old Norse frauki, German Frosch, older Dutch spelling kikvorsch), cognate with Sanskrit plava (frog), probably deriving from Proto-Indo-European praw = "to jump".
Most frogs are characterized by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits (fingers or toes), protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Most frogs have a semi-aquatic lifestyle, but move easily on land by jumping or climbing. They typically lay their eggs in puddles, ponds or lakes, and their larvae, called tadpoles, have gills and develop in water. Adult frogs follow a carnivorous diet, mostly of arthropods, annelids and gastropods. Frogs are most noticeable by their call, which can be widely heard during the night or day, mainly in their mating season.
The distribution of frogs ranges from tropic to subarctic regions, but most species are found in tropical rainforests. Consisting of more than 5,000 species described, they are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates. However, populations of certain frog species are declining significantly.
A distinction is often made between frogs and toads on the basis of their appearance, caused by the convergent adaptation among so-called toads to dry environments; however, this distinction has no taxonomic basis. The only family exclusively given the common name "toad" is Bufonidae, but many species from other families are also called "toads," and the species within the toad genus Atelopus are referred to as "harlequin frogs".
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA