Asian Toadfrogs: Megophryidae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Asian Toadfrogs And People, Conservation Status, Bana Leaf Litter Frog (leptobrachium Banae): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET
annam eat headed hunting
Asian toadfrogs live in many areas of Southeast Asia and Indonesia.
Although Asian toadfrogs live in many different habitats, most tend to prefer old, thick forests that have ground covered by layers of leaves. Most of them move into clean and clear streams, usually those with slow currents, to breed.
Many Asian toadfrogs eat a wide variety of invertebrates (in-VER-teh-brehts), or animals without backbones. Some, like the Annam broad-headed toad, are opportunistic (ah-por-toon-ISS-tik) feeders. An opportunistic feeder is an animal that will eat almost anything it can catch, get into its mouth, and swallow. Many Asian toadfrogs hunt by sitting still and waiting for prey to wander by. This type of hunting is called ambush hunting.
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Most of the Asian toadfrogs have vertical, cat-like pupils, paddle-shaped tongues, and colors and patterns on their heads and backs that blend in with their environment. Some species have warty skin, but others have smooth skin. A few do not have the cat-eye pupils. These include species like the Asian mountain toad, which has a diamond-shaped pupil. The males and females look quite similar for mo…
The typical Asian toadfrog spends its days resting under rocks, logs, or leaf piles on land and comes out at night to look for food. They are mostly slow-moving frogs that rarely climb and are not particularly good hoppers or swimmers. The leaf litter frogs, for instance, do a slow, waddling walk on land. A few species, like the Asian mountain toad, do some climbing, especially during the mating s…
Of the 107 species in this family, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) considers three species to be Critically Endangered, which means that they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild; 14 to be Endangered and facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild; and 26 to be Vulnerable and facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. In addition, 13 are Near Threatened and at risk of…
Physical characteristics: The Bana leaf litter frog has a body that looks too big for its skinny legs. It has a wide head with huge, bulging eyes. The eyes are black on the bottom, white on top, and circled with a thin, white circle. Its back is dark brown with tiny, red spots along the sides and also on its hind legs. Its front and back legs are brown with darker bands continuing down onto its to…
Physical characteristics: Sometimes called the webless toothed toad, the Schmidt's lazy toad is a grayish brown animal with warts dotting its body, thin forelegs, and rather short back legs. All of its legs have dark bands. Their undersides are pinkish tan and almost see-through. Adults grow to 1.7 to 2.0 inches (4.5 to 5.4 centimeters) long from snout to rump. Males are usually just a bit …
Physical characteristics: The small spines that stick straight out of the male's upper lip give the Ailao moustache toad, also known as a Yunnan moustache toad, its common name. Its other common name, the Ailao spiny toad, also refers to its prickly lip. The females do not have spines and instead have tiny white spots on the upper lip. They have large eyes that are black on the bottom and b…
Physical characteristics: The Asian horned frog, which is sometimes called the Asian spadefoot toad, looks as if it has horns over its dark brown eyes. It is a big-bodied frog with a large head that sometimes has a fleshy lump on the end of its snout. Its back is tan to reddish brown and has several ridges that run from the head to the rump. Its hind legs usually show dark banding, but the bands m…
Physical characteristics: Annam broad-headed toads, also known as Annam spadefoot toads, have so many ridges on their bodies that the head and back almost look as if they are covered with an armor shield. Two ridges begin at the back of the wide head, carry up over the eye to make a pointy eyebrow, then run forward to meet at the tip of the frog's pointed snout. Other, sometimes broken, rid…
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