Goliath Frog (Conraua goliath), family Ranidae, found in Cameroon and Equitorial Guinea in West Africa

ENDANGERED.

This is the largest extant frog, growing to a length of 32 cm (12.6 in) snout to vent, and weighing up to 3.25 kg (7.2 lb).

photograph by Mark-Oliver Rödel - Berlin Museum for Natural History

A marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) in England

by Graham Thurlow

hello! i'm sure you're inundated with asks at the moment, but i recently saw someone say that bullfrogs are america's "largest true frog" and now i must know about the false frogs, the frog frauds, the frauxgs, the square root of negative frog. please dr. frog man, tell me about the duplicitous fake frogs.

So in taxonomy we say things are ‘true’ when they belong to the original group that bore that name. ‘True frogs’ are frogs of the family Ranidae. The same is true of bufonids being ‘true toads’. Any frog that gets called a toad but is not a member of the family Bufonidae is thus not a true toad. For instance, fire bellied toads, Bombina bombina, are not true toads, but members of the Bombinatoridae.

This is easier for ‘true’ toads than for ‘true’ frogs, I guess because the definition of frog was always much broader, whereas toads have been quite specific.

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

In the harsh winters of North America, some frogs beat the cold by turning into literal frog-sicles! Wood frogs enter a state of torpor in September, and up to 2/3 of their body water will freeze completely solid. However, their cells are able to remain active due to the high levels of glucose these frogs spend accumulating throughout the summer. When spring rolls around, they turn that glucose back into glycogen stores or pee it out, and then hop on their merry way!

(Image: A wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) by Clara do Amaral)

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Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens Ranidae

Photograph taken on October 2, 2021, at Marmora and Lake, Ontario, Canada.

8/16/22

Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris)

more picrew! here’s the link

Major Characters, and their Connections: from a birthday-themed magical Good Society game we're playing! Broke out some characters from a past dnd game that we miss dearly, and gave them some fun regency hijinks to dance around in.

The top row is the three main characters-- Dalton, Eddy, and Wylloe. Below them on the left are their respective love interests, and on the right, a member from each of their families. More info and image description in the alt text! But feel free to ask about any of these characters, I love them.

Splendid Odorous Frog (Odorrana splendida), family Ranidae, Amami, Japan

photograph by Yuji Abematsu

A green frog (Lithobates clamitans) in Winnesheik, Iowa, USA

by Larry Reis

Fernando, Bayani (Ranida Labs/ Ranida Games)

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Amphibians are naturally cold-blooded, but that doesn't stop the Khabarovsk frog! This species resides in Asia, from western Russia to the Korean peninsula, and can be found in Siberia at latitudes up to 71° North. This makes the Khabarovsk frog the northernmost species of amphibian in the world.

(Image: A Khabarovsk frog (Rana amurensis) by John Howes via iNaturalist)

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Wood Frog Lithobates sylvaticus Ranidae Family

Photograph taken on April 15, 2023, at Starkey Hill, Ontario, Canada.