Being amphibians, frogs live on land and in water. Because they can survive in both environments they have an anatomy that is very different.
Their bodies are divided into 3 main parts: The head, the neck, and the trunk.
They have brains, eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth in the head section. They even have teeth, but don’t really use them as they are somewhat weak. What they do have is a long, sticky tongue that they use to catch their prey.
A frog’s eyes are rather large and bulging. They sit more on top of their heads than in the front. The reason for this is to help them in capturing food and avoiding enemies.
Frogs have 2 sets of nostrils, internal and external. They don’t have ears on the outside of their bodies, but they do have a tempanic membrane inside their heads that aids in hearing.
The neck section of a frog is rather short and stubby. Because of this, frogs cannot turn their head very far in either direction. (This makes the movement of their eyes very important as they can see in various directions).
Inside the trunk section of the frog are its internal organs. These organs are very similar to the organs of humans. They have a heart, lungs, kidneys, intestines, spleens, urinary bladders, and even a gall bladder. They don’t have ribs or a diaphragm on the insides of their bodies.
The reproductive organs of a frog are also similar to humans. The male frog has testes, urine ducts and a cloaca, where urine and sperm leave their bodies. The female frog has ovaries that produce the eggs and oviducts, where the ova pass from the uterus to the outside of the frog’s body. The male emits his sperm at the same time the female emits her eggs. This is usually done under water but can be done on trees and on land. The eggs are enclosed in a jelly-like mass that keeps them from drying up.
A frog’s skin is moist and made up of an outer epidermis and an inner epidermis. The moistness helps to protect the frog and allows them to get oxygen from water when not on land. When they are on land, they utilize their lungs to gain oxygen from the air.
There are very few bones in a frog. The skull and leg bones are most important. The skull protects the frog’s brain and the leg bones allow for long jumping and leaping. (Frogs have very strong leg muscles!)
Inside the frog are other systems, similar to humans, that help it survive. It has a circulatory system, a nervous system and a digestive system.
Frogs are wonderful creatures and come in many varieties. One of the best memories a child can have is watching a tadpole turn into a frog! Take a look at some of the types of frogs in the website, “Pictures of Frogs and Toads”. Their general anatomy is the same, but their looks really differ.
For more interesting and in-depth information on frogs, take a look at the following websites, (and don’t forget to look at the pictures!):
Anatomy of a Frog
Slides on frogs and tadpoles
