Tailed Frogs: Ascaphidae

Adult tailed frogs eat insects, snails, and other invertebrates (in-VER-teh-brehts), which are animals without backbones, that they find either in the water or on land nearby. Tailed frogs do not have long tongues that flip far out of their mouths to nab prey. Rather, they have short tongues that are of little use for catching passing invertebrates. They are able to capture prey by remaining still and waiting for an insect or other prey animal to come just close enough that the frog can quickly jump out and grab the insect with its mouth. Tadpoles get their food another way. Tadpoles use the strong sucker around the mouth to cling to underwater rocks and avoid being swept away by the current. While they are hanging on, they scrape up and eat bits of algae (AL-jee) with their rows of tiny teeth. Algae are tiny plantlike organisms that live in water and lack true roots, leaves, and stems.