Frogs.

The world of frogs is a very interesting start to study nature. I have recently discovered astonishing facts and true to life stories about these small but significant creatures. I am going to start with my own personal experiences. For me, as a very young boy, my father took one of the fish tanks that we had and placed several flat stones in the bottom at the back and half filled the tank with water. He also put in some plants and most important of all the mound of frogspawn. It was a transparent jelly like substance and had numerous black specks in it. I was impatient to see some activity and time seemed to drag until one day there were numerous small fish-like objects that were moving in the water. After time and on closer inspection on each side of the head were large gills and the body was transparent. Movement was made by using its tail. I quickly discovered that their diet is interesting as they start off eating vegetation and then move on to being carnivorous. The tadpole will grow large rear legs and shorter front legs. Most important of all, it will grow lungs and start to breathe air.

There are at least two breeds of frog that are deadly poisonous, the deadly dart frog and the yellow frog. In fact natives to specific continents rub the point of their spear on the skin of the yellow frog to use for a lethal weapon. The poison obtained can remain lethal for up to two years. There is no known antidote for the poison from that particular frog type. All I can say is be careful which frog you kiss.

There is a touching story of parenthood in relation to the frog. One tadpole was in a shrinking droplet of water, positioned on a green leaf. The situation was becoming increasingly desperate when the father came to its rescue by giving the tadpole a piggy back ride to a pool of water. However there was no available food there so the father frog went in search of help. The male came back with the mother, who came to where the tadpole was and laid one infertile egg. This was what the tadpole needed as it was something that he or she could eat.

A most interesting phenomenon happened when one day it began to rain frogs. It really did. The theory is that the wind can cause a vacuum that can transport the frogs a considerable distance before depositing them elsewhere.

All intriguing and astounding phenomena for frogs, things that you might not have been aware of and could possibly cause you to think differently about these small but significant creatures.