? Frogs White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Merrem, 1820 Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - Full list of families
Frog is the common name for amphibians in the order Anura. Adult frogs are characterised by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits, protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Frogs and toads are often distinguished based on appearance, but this has no scientific basis. The only family exclusively given the common name "toad" is Bufonidae, but many species from various other families are also called "toads". " True frogs" are of the family Ranidae.
Most frogs have a semi-aquatic lifestyle, and their larvae, called tadpoles, have gills and develop in water. Adult frogs follow a carnivorous diet, mostly composed of arthropods, annelids and gastropods. Frogs are most noticeable through their call, which can be widely heard during the mating season. The distribution of frogs ranges from tropic to subarctic regions, with most of the species found in tropical rainforests.
The morphology of frogs is unique among amphibians. Compared to the other two groups of amphibians ( salamanders and caecilians), frogs are unusual because they lack tails as adults and have legs modified for jumping rather than walking. The physiology of frogs is generally characteristic of other amphibians (and differs from other terrestrial vertebrates) because oxygen may pass through their highly permeable skin. This unique skin allows frogs to "breathe" largely through their skin, but also requires that the skin stay moist at all times, and makes frogs susceptible to many toxins in the environment.