Frog and Toad

Diagrammatic view of a frog

Frog and Toad (byab) cold-blooded vertebrates of the order Anura, class Amphibia. Frogs and toads are divided into 28 families, 338 genera and about 4360 species. They have a two-phase life-style: a free-living aquatic developmental stage and a terrestrial juvenile or adult stage.

The amphibian order Anura, comprising frogs and toads, has the widest distribution, especially the members of the family Ranidae. In Bangladesh the class Amphibia is represented only by the members of the order Anura; the orders Gymnophiona and Caudata have no representatives.

Some common frog

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  Cricket Frog

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  Green Paddy Frog

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  Dark-sided Frog

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  Asian Common Toad

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  Tree Frog

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  Skipper Frog

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  Burrowing Frog

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  Two-striped Grass Frog

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  Jerdon’s Bullfrog

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  Groaning Frog

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  Indian Bullfrog

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  Green Frog

Frogs are smooth-skinned, long-legged, web-footed and largely aquatic; toads are short-legged, rough and dry-skinned, and warty. The word 'frog' may properly be used for any member of the order Anura, whereas the word 'toad' is loosely applied to members of the genus Bufo as well as to other frogs of similar body forms. Bangladesh has 34 species of amphibians of which 8 are listed as threatened. The country earned about US $ 26 million by exporting bullfrog legs (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus) during 1988-1993. However, frog leg export is now banned. [Md. Anwarul Islam and M Nazrul Haque]