Trivia question for Sep-20-2011

Olivia picked out another amphibian for her trivia today, lets see how she does.  These guys are secretive amphibian that prey on slugs, worms and insects on warm, dark nights.

Some of these guys are killed, but rarely eaten, by domestic cats, and large numbers are killed on the roads by motor vehicles. They are susceptible to a number of diseases, including Ranavirus and the parasitic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis which has been implicated in extinctions of amphibian species around the world. Loss of habitat and the effect of these diseases has caused the decline of populations across their natural range in recent years. It is thought that the spread of the Chytridiomycota fungus has been facilitated by the effects of global warming.

So here are Olivia’s questions:  Tell us what type of amphibian this is and where they can be found?  Also, tell us two main predators that these guys are constantly hiding from?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out to 8-year old Gabriella from the UK for being the first with the correct answer.  The frog we featured is the Common Frog from Europe.  The Common Frog, also known as the European Common Frog or European Common Brown Frog is found throughout much of Europe as far north as well north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and as Far East as the Urals, except for most of Iberia, southern Italy, and the southern Balkans. The farthest west it can be found is Ireland, where it has long been thought erroneously to be an entirely introduced species.

These guys have many predators; fish, beetles, dragonfly larvae and birds eat tadpoles. Adult frogs have many predators including birds of prey, crows, gulls, ducks, terns, herons, pine martens, stoats, weasels, polecats, badgers and otters.  Two of the most prevalent are heron and grass snakes.  Here is more on these frogs: Common Frog

Thanks for playing along 😉