Moor frog

Appearance

They are small frogs, characterized by an unspotted belly, a large, dark ear spot and - often, not always - a pale stripe down the center of the back. They are generally described as a reddish-brown, but can also be yellow, gray, or light olive. Their bellies are white or yellow and they have a "bandit-like" black stripe going from their nose to their ears. They vary from 5.5 to 6 cm long but can reach up to 7 cm in length and their heads are more tapered than those of the European Common frog, . The skin on their flank and thigh is smooth and the posterior part of their tongue is forked and free. They have horizontal pupils, their feet are partially webbed and their back legs are shorter than those of other species of frogs. The males are different from the females because of the nuptial pads on their first fingers and their paired guttural vocal sac.

Distribution

It faces few major threats and is on the IUCN's Lowest Concern list. There are problems though with destruction and pollution of its habitat and breeding grounds through urbanization, etc. where people overwhelm their environment. Droughts and predation can also cause problems but overall it quite adaptable and its population trend is considered stable.

Habitat

The frogs can be found inhabiting an area stretching from the lowlands of Central and South Europe to Siberia. The countries it lives in are: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine. However, it is believed that they are extinct in Switzerland and maybe Siberia as well. It is possible that the records of frogs being in Siberia at all were in error . Alsace, France constitutes the western boundary of their territory.

The types of land they can inhabit are greatly varied. They live in tundra, forest tundra, forest, forest steppe, and steppe, forest edges and glades, semi-desert, swamps, meadows, fields, bush lands, gardens. They prefer areas untouched by humans such as damp meadows and bogs, but they still may be able to live in agricultural and urban areas .

Reproduction

The mating season takes place between March and June right after the end of hibernation. Males form breeding choruses and they have a song that sounds similar to that of the Agile Frog, . The call they make can "sound like air escaping from a submerged empty bottle: 'waug.…waug….waug'. Males can also develop bright blue coloration for a few days during the season.

The spawning happens very quickly and is completed in 3 to 28 days. The spawn of each frog is laid in one or two clusters of 500-3000 eggs in warm, shallow waters like in ponds.

Predators

It faces few major threats and is on the IUCN's Lowest Concern list. There are problems though with destruction and pollution of its habitat and breeding grounds through urbanization, etc. where people overwhelm their environment. Droughts and predation can also cause problems but overall it quite adaptable and its population trend is considered stable.

Defense

When moor frogs are on land and sense a threat they will make a large jump and bury themselves in soil or grass.