European Common Frog

Rana temporaria

Range

Found throughout much of Europe and in Asia eastward to Japan; absent from most of the Iberian Peninsula, southern Italy and the southern Balkans.

Habitat

Outside the breeding season, it uses damp wetland niches near ponds or marshes, and areas of long riparian grass. It breeds in shallow, still, fresh water such as ponds.

Diet

Adults are opportunistic feeders that wait for accessible prey, including insects, arachnids, woodlice, slugs, snails and earthworms. Tadpoles mainly eat algae and decomposed plants, becoming carnivorous as their hind legs develop.

Facts

• A common frog passes through three distinct stages: an aquatic larva, a terrestrial juvenile and an adult. During metamorphosis, it briefly stops eating while its body changes from tadpole to frog.

Research sources

• English Wikipedia