European green frog

Description

The snout-vent length ranges from 10 to 16 cm; specimens over 10 cm are mostly females. The upperparts are mostly olive green or olive brown, in Central Europe barely grass green, with distinct dark spots. The green dorsal midline typical of water frogs is usually present. The inner sides of the thighs are white-grey and black marbled (yellow parts are usually absent); the paired vocal sacs of the males are dark grey. The body structure is similar to that of its relatives, the pool frog and the common water frog, but with different proportions. The hind legs or lower legs are very long in relation to the torso. The metatarsal tubercle is small and flat.

Habitat

The European green frog has a very close relationship to water bodies. Even juveniles only move a few m away from the water. European green frogs prefer larger, eutrophic water bodies in the floodplain area, such as lakes, oxbow lakes, flood channels, calm river sections, larger ponds and quarry ponds, sometimes also canals and wide ditches. A rich aquatic and riparian vegetation is advantageous, but there should be no shading by woody plants. There, the animals like to sit on the shoreline and sunbathe. In case of danger or disturbance, they immediately jump into the water. Unlike most other frogs, they overwinter mainly aquatically in the water sediment. The species is therefore dependent on oxygen-rich waters that rarely freeze over completely or for long periods.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seefrosch). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 29 June 2021