Survival of the Fittest
The adaptations of the
American Bullfrog have made it a very competitive organism in its environment.
With its greenish brown skin color, predators such as herons, garter snakes, and
raccoons have a hard time locating the bullfrog in its habitat. The
bullfrog's most notable feature is definitely its size. These frogs can
run from 5-8 inches in just body length. Their hind legs can reach lengths
of 7-10 inches! This amazing adaptation has made the bullfrog an excellent
jumper, sometimes making a leap 9 times it
s
body length. With the help of its legs, bullfrogs can jump on prey from a great
distance. In addition to their legs, bullfrogs have more characteristics that
make them a vicious predator. They have teeth on the roof of their mouth and an
incredibly strong muscular tongue to assist them in catching prey. The American
Bullfrog has well-developed eyes that can practically see in all directions.
Their eyes are very helpful in staking out prey, finding a mate, or for
protecting their territory. They can also see in color and have superb depth perception.
These strong visual adaptations are due to the large optical lobe located in the
brain of the bullfrog. Perhaps the
bullfrog's most interesting adaptation, however, is its skin. Apart from being able to
breathe through the skin, bullfrogs have many glands on the surface of their
skin called paratoid glands. When the bullfrog feels threatened or wants to
ward off unwanted animals from its territory, it will secret a toxin on the
surface of its skin. If an
animal were to try to eat the bullfrog, the poisonous toxin could potentially
kill that animal.
In the mood for a joke?
What happens when a frog parks illegally?
(see
interactions for the answer!)
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