Frogs and Toads

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3 Check It Out! 4 Trivia, Facts, and Scoops 6 The Spadefoot Toad 8 10 Fun Facts About Frogs 10 Salamander Crossing!

12 Puzzles 14 Frog vs. Toad 17 The Polka-Dotted Frog 18 A Real Live Frogsicle 19 Blow a Winter Bubble 20 The Poison Dart Frog 21 Amphibians 22 Max and Gracie 23 Disappearing Act! 24 Frog Cartoons 25 Be a Chorus for Us 26 Finding Frogs 28 Riddles & Rhymes 29 Kids Corner 30 Puzzle Solutions

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hat is the most interesting thing you’ve ever read about frogs? You’ve probably eaten a Fudgsicle®. But have you ever heard of a frogsicle? No, it’s not something to eat, but it’s real. Check it out!

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE! After reading this issue about frogs, toads, and salamanders, tell us which you like best and why. We’ll send you something just for voting.

You’ll discover a lot about frogs in these pages, but toads and salamanders are just as cool.

They are included here too. All these animals are amphibians, which can have vivid, wild coloring.

Newts and earthworm-like creatures called caecilians also belong to this class of animals.

Don’t forget to send in your stories, poems, and artwork for Kids Corner. Write a letter to the editor, and tell us what you enjoy in the magazine. What would you like to see included in future issues?

NEW FEATURE: Find out how to become part of Zip’s Pen Pal Club on page 29!

It’s fun and exciting!

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Frogs, toads, and most salamanders hatch in water from soft eggs covered in a clear jelly. After hatching, they turn into tadpoles. With big heads, long tails, and no arms or legs, tadpoles look a bit like fish.

They even have gills for underwater breathing. As amphibians grow older, the tails get shorter, limbs develop, and most develop lungs. Now they can live on land. These are special animals!

Exploring: This is a frog tadpole.

Toad and salamander tadpoles look very much like it.

Is It a Toad or a Frog?

Toads usually have drier, bumpier skin than frogs. Toads are chubbier, and their legs are shorter.

Most don’t have webbed feet.

Can You Get Warts from Toads?

This is a popular myth, but don’t worry. You can’t get warts from a toad. But a toad’s skin does produce a liquid that’s bothersome to other animals.

It’s harmless to humans, but it can irritate your eyes. So wash your hands after touching a toad.

There Are Many Kinds of Toads There are about 200 different kinds of toads.

Some are as small as one inch long, and others are as large as nine inches long. A large toad can lay as many as 20,000 eggs at one time!

Toads Love Water During very dry seasons, toads dig deep into the soil to find moisture to help keep their bodies wet.

They like to travel when it’s raining.

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Oak Toad: One-inch-long oak toads are the smallest in North America.

Some Frogs Can “Fly” Well, not really, but they do the next best thing. They glide!

The “parachuting” frogs of Asia can make 50-foot flying leaps.

To glide from tree to tree, they flatten their bodies, spread the webbing between their fingers and toes, and jump.

Some Frogs Can Climb Trees Really! Tree frogs use tiny suction cups on the tips of their toes to climb trees and cling to them. Most tree frogs are small. Many are difficult to see because their skin is the same color as the trees they live in!

Male Frogs Have LOUD Voices Malabar Gliding Frog: Webbing between the fingers and toes of Malabar gliding frogs helps them “fly.”

Most female frogs are very quiet. It’s hard to hear them over the voices of the males. There are over 4000 species of frogs. Each type of male frog has its own different sound. Some whistle. Some chirp. Some peep, and some actually bark like a dog.

Salamanders Do Not Look Like Frogs or Toads They typically have slender bodies, short legs, and long tails. Most salamanders are about six inches long. The Chinese giant salamander can grow to be six feet in length. It’s the world’s largest amphibian!

Why Is a Salamander Called a Fire Lizard?

Its name comes from the Greek word for “fire lizard.” Salamanders would come running out of logs they were hiding in when the logs were thrown on a fire.

The Best Place to Find Salamanders They live in or near water. Some live in water their entire lives and never lose their gills. Adult salamanders either breathe through their skin or with lungs. That’s right – some salamanders lack lungs! There are more species of salamanders in North, Central, and South America than the rest of the world combined.

Northern red salamander: With no lungs, the red salamander breathes through its skin.

A Very Unique Salamander Feature Salamanders can regrow lost limbs, including their toes and tails, within a few weeks. Frog and toad tadpoles can regrow limbs, but adult frogs and toads cannot.

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by Melanie Freeman Short stubby legs kick and push the dirt. Clumps of dirt flip up. The animal lowers itself into the hole it has made. Soon its green and brown body is completely covered. Golden eyes are the only body parts that can be seen. But that soon changes.

As the morning sun rises, the animal scoots itself deeper into the hole. That’s because the Eastern spadefoot toad, now completely buried, is a burrowing toad.

Like other burrowing toads and frogs, a spadefoot toad spends most of its life under the ground. It comes out at night to eat, then returns to its comfortable home. During hot or dry times, spadefoot toads stay cool and moist in the burrow. During extremely dry times, they can stay buried for weeks or months.

The Eastern spadefoot toad’s appearance is not common. Unlike the plain brown American toad, this spadefoot toad’s two-inch-long body is mostly brown with two yellow-green splotchy stripes. These stripes start behind each eye and curve down to the toad’s rear. Males have more colorful stripes. The rest of the body is marbled yellow-green and brown. The belly is white and pink. Eastern spadefoot toads can have a sprinkling of tiny raised orange spots across the top and sides of their bodies. This kaleidoscope of colors makes the toad quite unique. Other spadefoot toad species have different coloring.

Some spadefoot toads, like this Plains spadefoot, have orange spots.

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The black and gold eyes of all spadefoot toads are also uncommon.

The pupil is vertical, unlike the horizontal pupils of many other species of toad. Maybe the vertical pupils have something to do with the fact that this is a burrowing toad. Other burrowing species of toads and frogs also have vertical pupils.

Like all spadefoot toads, this Eastern spadefoot has golden eyes and vertical pupils.

You can clearly see a spade-shaped back foot on this Western spadefoot.

But why is it called a spadefoot toad? Break down the word “spadefoot” into two words.

A spade is a shovel-like tool used for digging. Foot . . . well, you know what a foot is. So a spadefoot toad is a toad with “shovels” on its feet. Which feet? Just the back ones. On each back foot, this toad has a miniature “shovel.” It’s rather like a fingernail and is used to dig backwards! As the toad digs, it backs itself into the hole. Pretty clever! In this way, the toad can always keep an eye out for any predators. It wouldn’t want to have its face in the dirt while a snake is sneaking up behind it.

Why do spadefoot toads bury themselves, anyway? They are avoiding the heat of the day.

Think about how you would feel on a hot summer day. You want shade. You want something cool to drink. The toads are thinking the same thing. The layers of dirt below the surface are cooler. There is more moisture down there too. Like all toads, the spadefoot toad has a special ability to “drink” moisture through its skin.

There are many different species of spadefoot toads. Their skin oozes a fluid that some people think smells like peanut butter! Definitely unique!

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: t u O k L o oSalamander Crossing!

by Christy Mihaly As the cold Vermont winter sets in, the local amphibians – salamanders, toads, newts, and frogs – seek out cozy places to hibernate. They’ll stay hidden beneath us during the dark, freezing months, as we sled, skate, snowshoe, and ski on the ice and snow. After a long winter, our family is ready to celebrate springtime. But we know that it’s not really spring until the salamanders cross the road.

The most exciting part is – we help them!

It happens on the first warm, rainy nights of the year. When the spring rains come, amphibians wake up and begin a long, slow crawl – or hop. They head back to the small ponds and pools where they started their lives. There, they mate and lay their eggs in the water. Sometimes, hundreds of them are on the move.

But these small amphibians have a big problem. To get to the ponds, they have to travel across roads. On rainy nights, slow-moving salamanders and frogs look like sticks and stones in the road.

If drivers don’t watch out, they’ll squash them.

That’s where we come in! As darkness falls, we pull on boots and rain jackets. We put on safety vests and headlamps. We gather at a spot where we know the amphibians will be crossing the road to reach the water. We put up “Salamander Crossing” signs to warn drivers. We wait beside the road.

Larry Clarfeld is an Amphibian Monitoring Program educator at the North Branch Nature Center. He taught us how to find amphibian crossings and to identify local amphibians. With other volunteers, we track how many of each kind of amphibian we see and report to Larry. This lets scientists study the changes from year to year. “Volunteers can make a huge difference,” Larry says.

“They help scientists by counting amphibians, and they help the amphibians by keeping them away from the wheels of cars.”

a spotted salamander

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Abigail is ready for an evening of helping salamanders.

At the crossing, I carry a clipboard with a checklist. My daughter and her friends carry flashlights. We watch the road for amphibians and cars. Frog song fills the air. Soon I hear, “Mom, a spotted salamander!” My daughter points at the small animal in the road, dark with bright yellow spots. I mark it down. She picks the salamander up carefully and carries it to safety on the other side of the road.

“Two spring peepers,” Josiah calls from farther down the road. Those tiny frogs are my favorite. I check them off. “A wood frog!

And another spotted salamander!” On a busy night, I have to work hard to keep up with the sightings.

a spring peeper

We also count cars. This helps the experts identify which road crossings are most dangerous for the amphibians.

As the hours pass and the air cools, fewer animals come out. We head home to warm up with some hot chocolate and check our numbers. On a big night, we might help more than 100 salamanders, newts, frogs, and toads safely across the road. It’s a great way to start off spring with a bang (and a rrrribbit!).

HOW CAN YOU HELP? • Volunteer at a Crossing. In many areas – particularly the northeastern US and Canada – amphibian-crossing projects seek volunteers. In Montpelier, Vermont, the North Branch Nature Center’s Amphibian Monitoring Program has trained hundreds of volunteers to identify different amphibian species. Volunteers are given maps showing amphibian crossing points.

• Get Educated and Be Safe. Volunteers need to avoid cars and also avoid stepping on the critters they’re trying to help. And, since amphibians breathe through their skin, it’s important to rinse hands clean of soap or lotion before touching them.

• Special Protection for Important Routes. Some communities ban cars from driving on crowded amphibian crossings when the weather looks good for amphibians to move.

Others have installed special under-the-road amphibian tunnels. These allow the animals to travel safely beneath the road.

• Slow Down! Watch for those first warm, rainy spring nights. (For amphibians, “warm” could mean 40°F or warmer.) In the car, keep an eye out for critters – and ask the driver to pay attention too!

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Frog and Toad Riddles

by David Lindo

by Guy Belleranti

Find the letters described by the fraction given in each statement.

Print the letters you select, in the order provided, into the boxes to answer the riddle.

1. What is a toad’s favorite instrument?

Answer in code: B GSPHIPSO (To decode, write the letter that comes before the letter given.)

Answer: __

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

The last 2/5 of APPLE

2. Where does Santa Frog live?

To find the answer, cross out every TOAD in the lines below.

Then the write the leftover letters in the blank spaces.

The middle 1/5 of BLACK

TO A D ATO A DTTHTO A D ETTO A D ATO A D D PTO A D O LTO A D E

The first 1/3 of PYRITE

Answer: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

The middle 1/4 of SCREAMER

3. What game do frogs and toads love to play?

The last 1/6 of DIVER

Answer in code: EIKNAIQAE (To decode, use the Toad Code Decoder.)

What is a happy frog’s favorite year?

Answer: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Toad Code Decoder A=C

B=F

D=Z

E=H

G=L

I=O

K=P

N=S

Q=T

R=U

by Guy Belleranti Start Begin at Start, and connect letters to spell out the following words or phrases that describe most frogs and toads: AMPHIBIANS, SOFT UNSHELLED EGGS, LARVAL STAGE IN WATER, METAMORPHOSIS INTO ADULT You may move forward, backward, up, or down, but no letter may be connected more than once. Write the leftover letters, in order, in the blanks to spell out another similarity.

A

M

E

C

A

R

V

T

O

T

W

A

T

I

H

G

G

C

B

L

O

G

D

Y

T

R

H B I A D O F

P E T N S S T

E E D T B R U

S M E R H S N

L P L L E R I

R E U O Y O N

A S R L O S G

T E P H I S

E A C R S U I

I R O O O T N

N A A M A N S

I E T L D U L

E M N E U D T

Finish

Another similarity between frogs and toads:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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M

_ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

by Guy Belleranti

Read the letters below, left to right. How many FROGS and TOADS can you find? Circle each one, then write down the remaining letters, in order, on the blank lines to spell out a message about these cold-blooded creatures.

P H A L F

E O N F R

F S I R O

R T T O G

O F O G S

G R A S T

S O D L O

O G S E A

T S M D D

O U A T S

A D F O O

D T R A F

S O O D R

Number of FROGS: _____ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

P A G S O

L D S H G

E S L E S

F Y S R G

R T A T I

O H T O S

G E O A F

S T A D R

W O D S O

F A S P G

R D R E S

O S E T T

G S C O S

S E A L

Number of TOADS: _____

___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ “___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___.”

www.hiddenpicturepuzles.com ©Liz Ball

pot cup ring coin cone shoe moth canoe molar 2 birds 3 frogs football tadpole 3 hearts fishhook birdhouse toothbrush arrowhead music note wristwatch sweet potato

Hopping your answers are correct?

Go to page 30 for answers.

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*Travelling Adventures In Laboratory Science!!

F R OG VS.

T O AD!

by Andrew Wales

Frogs are better than toads!

Our band of travelling explorers is on a boating expedition.

They have gone ashore to rest, and they hear a commotion in the bushes. As they go a little farther in to investigate . . .

I’ll give you just three seconds What’s the matter? to take that back! 1 . . . 2 . . .

Lose count?

OK, what’s this disagreement all about? We want to hear both sides.

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I am Gluglug the frog. This wartcovered toad, here, refuses to listen to reason!

We had better

It’s a intervene in an expeditious fashion! frog and a toad No . . . about ready to fight!

I think we should break it up, quick!

OK! Enough! Let me at Break it up! ‘im! Let me at ‘im!

He refuses to admit that frogs are superior to toads!

My name is Schwartz!

These “warts” are called tubercles . . .

And I am PROUD of ‘em!

I’m also proud of these BUMPS behind my eyes . . .

Heeheehee . . .

They secrete a badtasting poison so predators won’t want to eat me!

You can only hop or walk – not jump!

Not to mention my swimming!

I can shoot through the air like a rocket!

Up to thirteen times my own LENGTH! Friends! Perhaps if you instead focused on what you have in common . . .

Well, we do both have very good eyesight!

We can see our enemies before they see us!

And we can see above, beside, ahead, or even behind ourselves!

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“And you both have a voice sac in your throat made of stretchy skin. This enables you to make unusual sounds.”

“And you both eat similar kinds of things: spiders, slugs, crickets, worms, snails, and all kinds of insects!”

A tasty treat!

I guess we have quite a lot in common after all, don’t we, Schwartz?

Yeah! I never thought about it before!

I apologize for callin’ you those names, ol’ buddy!

MMM! Dee-licious!

Here’s something else . . .

What would you say if I told you . . .

. . . that both FROGS AND TOADS are important to the environment?

I’d say that’s pretty nifty!

Attention, Team!

Stay where you are. I will be landing shortly.

I want to learn more about these remarkable amphibians.

The End. 16

by David Brown In Peru, there lives a fantastically decorated frog.

It has skin the color of chocolate chips and is dappled with polka dots — lots and lots of polka dots — all over its little body. Scientists call this frog Excidobates mysteriosus. Like its scientific name suggests, this frog has some mysteries about it.

Why does this frog have polka dots? To humans, they look like cool decorations. To potential predators, though, they send an entirely different message: Don’t snack on me!

This frog’s skin is full of poisons that will kill any snake, bird, or other animal that eats it.

The polka dots serve as a warning that this frog is not edible.

Excidobates mysteriosus lives in dry forests. So how can an animal that needs to live in water survive in a dry forest? The polka-dotted frog solves that problem by living in large flowers called bromeliads. Water collects in the bromeliad, forming tiny ponds that the frog lays its eggs in. Tadpoles develop from the eggs, then grow into frogs. All this happens within these tiny ponds. The petals of the flower hang over the small pond, like a big umbrella.

This prevents the water from evaporating and shields the frogs from the hot sun.

These frogs live in a very small area of northwestern Peru. Most of the forests in this region have been cut down. For many years, this frog was thought to be extinct. It was rediscovered in 1989, after not being seen by scientists for 60 years!

Even though the frog is protected from predators by its coloring, it is not protected from humans who have cut down most of its habitat. People in Peru are working to protect and expand the frog’s home. Hopefully, this frog can continue to decorate its habitat with its fantastic polka dots well into the future.

photo by Tim May

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by Meredith Southard • illustrations by Harvey Hirsch When winter’s cold comes knocking, wild animals have ways to survive. The wood frog has a most unusual way of handling the cold. It freezes, right along with its surroundings!

Many frogs spend the winter in deep burrows, where they are protected from the frost.

As temperatures drop, they enter hibernation. When spring comes, the frogs “wake up,” ready to be active again.

The wood frog goes one step further. It can live farther north than any other frog, even north of the Arctic Circle. Its winter hiding place can get very cold. That’s when its unusual talent comes in handy. When the temperature dips below 32°F, the wood frog releases a special protein in its bloodstream. This causes the water in its blood to freeze. Its liver releases glucose, a type of sugar, that keeps the insides of its cells from freezing. Outside of its cells, though, over two-thirds of the water in the frog’s body can turn to ice.

The frog stops breathing and its heart stops beating. Its eyeballs turn white because the fluid inside them freezes. The wood frog can stay like this for a month or more.

Freezing like this would be fatal to most other animals. But a wood frog can change from “frogsicle” to a healthy, alert frog in a matter of hours once it warms up. This is one unique way to survive the cold!

This is a frozen frog in hibernation.

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I bet you have blown bubbles outdoors. I also bet that you blew those bubbles on a nice, warm, sunny day in summer.

But have you ever blown bubbles outdoors on a freezing, cold day in winter? If you haven’t, this will be a super, amazing experiment for you to try. You won’t believe what happens to bubbles when they meet the freezing cold of winter!

What You Need: • a piece of paper about 3 inches wide and 8 inches long • a rubber band • soap solution – Gently stir together 2 cups water, 1/2 cup Dawn dishwashing liquid, and 2 teaspoons sugar.

• a winter day that is below freezing with no wind

What To Do Roll the paper into a tube 3 inches long, and slip the rubber band around it to hold it. Put the soap solution in a paper cup. Put on warm clothes and go outdoors. Practice blowing a bubble by dipping one end of the tube in the soap and blowing into the other end. You should be able to blow a bubble about the size of a small ball. If the bubble sticks to the end of the tube, shake the tube to set it free.

Two Science Experiments to Try 1. Warm air rises. Hot air balloons “fly” because they are full of warm air, which causes the balloon to rise. YOU are warm inside. Take a big breath of air and HOLD YOUR BREATH as long as you can. The air will warm up inside your lungs. Now use your warm breath to blow a bubble.

The bubble will be filled with warm air, and it will float UP in the cold winter air! Bubbles you blow in the summertime float down because the air inside and outside the bubble is warm. Bubbles ONLY float UP in the wintertime when the air is cold!

2. Your bubble will only float up a little way.

Then, the air inside will get cold, and it will float back down.

When you can reach the bubble, HIT IT GENTLY WITH YOUR FINGER. Guess what will happen? Because the soap solution is made with water, and the bubble is so thin, it will SHATTER as if it were made of glass! In freezing weather, bubbles do not POP – they BREAK! Try it and see.

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by Jeanette Jenkins Deep in the lowland rainforest of Colombia, in South America, lives a beautiful frog.

Only two inches long and golden yellow in color, it almost looks like a toy. But don’t touch! Touching this frog can kill you.

Scientists first saw this frog in 1973.

For generations, the region’s Embera Chocó people have called it the “poison dart” frog. Traditionally, Chocó people hunted with wooden blowguns. Blowgun darts were dipped in a very strong poison that comes from this frog. Small pores all over the frog’s skin secrete a colorless, odorless poison.

Many frogs ooze poisons to protect them from predators, but the poison from the golden poison dart frog is 20 times more deadly. Poison from just one of these frogs can kill 20,000 mice. One drop is enough to kill a grown man.

Chocó hunters still use this frog’s poison. But how do they get it? The hunter simply holds down a frog with a stick and rubs a dart across its back.

When dry, the dart will be poisonous for a year. After the dart is used, often on a bird, the hunter carefully removes it to use again. He cuts away any part of the carcass the dart touched.

Golden poison dart frogs do not try to escape or hide from would-be predators. This bold behavior is unusual in the animal world. Many predators sense danger and leave when they can’t scare this little frog. But if they go ahead and take a bite, it will be their last.

These frogs have only one natural enemy: the firebellied snake. Of all the rainforest creatures, only this snake is able to eat the frog and live to eat again.

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by Risa Roberta Goldberg Fat ones, skinny ones, short ones, tall, Green ones, brown ones, and that’s not all.

Cold and clammy ones, damp and smooth, Dry and warty ones, pebbly and grooved.

Hear them cheep and peep and boom, Quack and cry at the light of the moon.

Leaping and jumping, they climb so high, Changing their color in the blink of an eye.

Tails on the little ones, floating in the weeds, Feeding on algae for food they need.

Long, strong legs and long, sticky tongues, Some have gills and some have lungs.

Some eat the pests that bother our plants, Like snails and slugs and worms and ants.

Who are these critters? We call them our friends.

They’re frogs, toads, salamanders – amphibians!

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Seattle, Washington 9:15 PM a crisp, b-r-r-r-r-r, chilly evening!

Max and Gracie and their owners, Linda, Craig, and their seven-year-old son, Ed, are driving the back roads of America. Perhaps you have seen Max and Gracie with their heads out the window. If not, here is a letter describing their most recent adventure.

Gracie threw her paw over my face.

I was just about to fall asleep, when ended not to hear her.

“Max, I can’t sleep,” she whined. I pret be cut. “I still have that horrible my face. Her nails definitely need to over paw her d rake ie Grac X!!”

“MA taste in my mouth.” poor little frog’s head was frog and immediately picked it up. The This afternoon, Gracie came upon a but she wouldn’t listen. She n, dow it put to it squeaked. I told Gracie bit,” “Rib th. mou ie’s Grac of out ing stick frog as a pet. Silly Gracie. actually thought she could keep the s. Soon a thick white foam releases a nasty substance from its pore frog a ed, scar n Whe . ened happ it Then t in search of water. Oh, Gracie! th. She gently freed the frog and wen dripped from the sides of Gracie’s mou that water ignites the bad only made it worse. Yup, we found out ed lapp she r wate of le pudd ll sma The he expected her to eat the HUGE g Gracie eat some grass. I don’t think taste! Ed came to the rescue, suggestin clump of grass she pulled from the soil. was going to get any sleep, I had t the horrible taste in her mouth. If I All day long, Gracie complained abou treat. This was an excellent plan for e Ed and encourage him to give us a to fix this problem. We decided to wak me too! .

“Let’s leap-frog on top of him,” I said Ed’s bed. aled, burping before she jumped on sque “Please don’t mention frogs,” Gracie “Gracie!” Ed screamed. tantly got out of bed. Two n was to give us a bone, sleepy Ed reluc Knowing the only way to calm us dow out of her mouth. She looked so Gracie fast asleep with a bone sticking minutes later, I looked over and saw ie. funny, I had to laugh. Good night, Grac

Max

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by Lynn Katulka Have you ever watched a magic show, oohing and aahing as a coin disappears? Making something disappear is an illusion, something that looks different from what it really is. Many animals, such as frogs and toads, use an illusion called camouflage to make themselves disappear.

Blending into the environment is the best way to use camouflage. Frogs, with green, black, or even yellow skin, can easily blend into mud, algae, leaves, or branches along the sides of ponds. Toads, with brown and bumpy skin, have no trouble blending in with pebbles, sand, or leaves.

Some frogs and toads have a special type of camouflage. Many can change their skin color.

An awesome trick! Imagine if you could change your skin to match your soccer uniform or blend into the school hallway wall to become invisible!

A few frogs can change skin color so a darker color is on top and a lighter color underneath.

From underwater, the frog’s light belly blends in with the sunlight that filters down, making the frog hard to see. Other frogs, such as tree frogs, nestle into tree bark and darken or lighten their skin to match.

Toads, too, can change their skin color. They can sense the temperature of the earth and adjust from yellow to brown to red, matching the color of the ground around them.

Camouflage for frogs and toads allows them to sit still and wait for dinner to come to them.

Insects are fooled by the camouflage and walk just close enough. It works in reverse too. A frog that looks like a leaf won’t become a bird’s dinner.

So if you’re ever hunting for a burping bullfrog or a common toad, think like them. Doublecheck that rock, leaf or stone. Is it real?

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“I got him from the Big Brother program.”

by Brandon Fall

“Wait, Jill! That bug is too big!”

by John Quinn

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by Jennifer Raifteiri-McArdle

Frogs have a friend in 13-year-old Amanda. She has loved them since doing a frog project in first grade. Since then, she has read books and discovered the website of a public charity working for amphibian conservation.

A few years later, she joined this charity, called Save the Frogs! The money she raises from bake sales and lemonade stands goes to help frogs. In 2014, she joined a funding challenge. In two weeks, she raised $500 and won the challenge. One of her favorite prizes was a Save the Frogs! flag. She uses it when spreading the word about frogs.

Amanda also checks on the water quality and frog population in the creek on their property. She knows that frogs can tell us about the environment. “If the frogs are doing bad, we know there is something we need to change,� she says.

The smallest things can help. You can provide places for frogs to hide in your backyard. Also, telling people about frogs and raising funds is important.

Getting involved with a conservation or nature group near you would be a great activity as well.

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by Susan Richardson For those who want to see them up close, exploring for frogs is an exciting adventure. Bring a good flashlight for looking in shady places. Explore in a wet, grassy yard or meadow. You can even look along the foundation of your home. If you have a camera, bring it along, and photograph any frogs you find. Have an adult with you when you explore beyond your yard. A good time to look for frogs is after sunset, when they are actively hunting for food.

Frogs are not always easy to find. With their gorgeous patterns and colors, frogs sit very still and blend in with their surroundings. This camouflage helps them hide from danger, like large birds, snakes, and mammals that might try to eat them.

It is almost impossible to sneak up on a frog. They are always watching with those large, lovely eyes and can see nearly all the way around themselves. Frogs can hear even the slightest sound with their very sensitive ears. If you are lucky enough to get close to a frog, look for the flat round spot behind each eye. That is the frog’s eardrum.

Explore near a lake, river, or small pond. Look along the edge of a quiet stream. It is difficult to see a frog that is resting quietly in the water with only its eyes above the surface. But, sometimes, a frog will be found basking on a lily pad or muddy bank in plain view.

Step softly and slowly as you search. A startled frog will leap suddenly into nearby water. Then you can only hope to catch a glimpse of it flying through the air before it lands with a splash! A frog can hide under water for a long time.

Frogs also hide under rocks, shrubs, and plants. But snakes or spiders could be hiding there too!

Never stick your hand, head, or foot near these spots until you use your flashlight to see what might be there.

Grab your umbrella, and go walking during a soft, quiet rain. Frogs love rain. They will be out hopping around and soaking their skins. A frog’s skin absorbs water. And although they have nostrils and lungs, frogs breathe mostly through their skin. So they need water to survive.

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Go outside late on a spring or summer evening, especially after a rain shower, and you may hear the music of the fabulous frog chorus! Male frogs gather at ponds and other water spots, calling loudly to attract females. Each frog sings his own beautiful song, loudly and frequently.

Tiny glands in a frog’s skin secrete mucus. This mucus makes them slippery and helps them stay moist. The mucus may cause itching or burning to the skin, eyes, nose, or mouth of any other animal that handles the frog, depending on what kind of frog it is. So if you touch a frog, be sure to wash your hands before touching any other part of your body.

Always treat a frog with care, kindness, and respect. Don’t try to keep a frog as a pet. Like all wild animals, frogs deserve to be free and live undisturbed in their natural habitat. Books from your local library can help you identify the frogs you find and learn more about them.

Use a notebook or several sheets of paper stapled together to make a frog journal. Decorate the cover however you prefer. This is your special place to draw pictures and write down thoughts, descriptions, and notes about your frog-finding adventures.

For those who like amphibians, nothing can compare to the excitement of exploring and the thrill of finding frogs!

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by Nancy Dearborn 1. Which frog sounds like a dog? _____ 2. Which frog is a cheerful, mischievous elf? _____ 3. Which frog makes a humming sound, like a bee? _____ 4. Which frog is used for polishing cars? _____ 5. Which frog is made from a tree? _____ 6. Which frog is part ocean and likes to sing in a group? _____ 7. Which frog is higher than a hill and resembles rain? _____ 8. Which frog is a piece of sculpture? _____ 9. Which frog likes to shoot into the sky? _____ 10. Which frog shatters when it is dropped? _____ Choose from among these answers.

There are more frogs given than you need.

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A. wax frog

G. running frog

B. marbled frog

H. Pacific chorus frog

C. buzzing frog

I. rocket frog

D. barking frog

J. pixie frog

E. glass frog

K. waterfall frog

F. wood frog

L. mountain mist frog

Answers are on page 30.

written and illustrated by Miriam Bethancourt It’s raining today!

It’s raining With splashes, splatters, and splats!

And everyone is saying, “It’s raining dogs and cats.”

But wouldn’t it be funny, With tickles, laughs, and screams, If jumping frogs could rain, instead, Until the sky turned green?

If it could rain real frogs one day, We’d find them everywhere.

On rooftops and umbrellas, On raincoats, hats, and hair.

And as they’re jumping all about, You’d hear some people say, “Today is very froggy.

It’s a very froggy day!”

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Loads and Loads of Frogs and Toads on page 13 P H A L F

E O N F R

F S I R O

R T T O G

O F O G S

G R A S T

S O D L O

O G S E A

T S M D D

O U A T S

A D F O O

D T R A F

S O O D R

P A G S O

L D S H G

9

E S L E S

F Y S R G

R T A T I

O H T O S

G E O A F

S T A D R

W O D S O

F A S P G

R D R E S

Mystery Picture Puzzle on page 13 O S E T T

G S C O S

S E A L

8

Number of FROGS: _____

Number of TOADS: _____

People who study these animals are called “herpetologists.”

Frog and Toad Riddles on page 12

Fraction-nition on page 12

1. A FROGHORN

What is a happy frog’s favorite year?

2. AT THE TAD POLE

LEAP YEAR

3. HOPSCOTCH

A-Maze-ing Frogs and Toads on page 12 Start

A

M

E

C

A

R

V

T

O

T

W

A

T

I

H

G

G

C

B

L

O

G

D

Y

T

R

H B I A D O F

P E T N S S T

E E D T B R U

S M E R H S N

L P L L E R I

R E U O Y O N

A S R L O S G

M T E P H I S

E A C R S U I

I R O O O T N

N A A M A N S

I E T L D U L

E

N E U D T

Another similarity between frogs and toads: ECTOTHERMIC - BODY TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED BY SURROUNDINGS

Which Frog on page 28 1. D, 2. J, 3. C, 4. A, 5. F, 6. H, 7. L, 8. B, 9. I, 10. E

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©Liz Ball

M

Finish

Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons: William Warby [CC BY 2.0]; 3 (top); André Karwath aka Aka (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5] 3 (mid); Sumeet Moghe (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0] 5 (top); Leif Van Laar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0] 5 (top); by Stanley Trauth (http://calphotos.berkeley.edu) [CC BY-SA 2.5] 6; by Timdwilliamson (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0] 7 (top-left); by Ihar Strakha [CC BY 3.0] 18; Umberto Salvagnin (originally posted to Flickr as European Green Toad) [CC BY 2.0] 21 (middle); Brian Gratwicke derivative work: B kimmel [CC BY 2.0] 21 (bottom).

123RF.com: Group of male common frogs - ©[Rudmer Zwerver/123RF.com] 25.

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V i s i t U s O n l i n e ! F a c e b o o k . c o m / F u n F o r K i d z • w w w. F u n F o r K i d z . c o m Vol. 15 No. 6 • NOV/DEC 2016 Publisher: Thomas M. Edwards Editor: Marilyn Edwards Associate Editor: Diane Winebar Graphic Design: Gaurakisora Tucker Marketing Director: Jonathan Edwards

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