Moor frog

Description

This is a rather slender, delicate brown frog with a pointed snout. The pupils are horizontal, the tympanic membrane is clearly visible within the temporal patch, but quite small (size about 2/3 of the eye diameter) and far from the eye. The metatarsal tubercle is high arched and firm, unlike the sometimes similar looking European grass frog.

The snout-vent length of males and females ranges from 5 to 6, exceptionally up to 8 cm. The upperparts are light to dark brown, but there are also reddish-brown and heavily black-spotted animals. The typical brown frog temple spot behind the eye is dark brown. A broad, light longitudinal band often runs across the middle of the back, which is dark fringed, but this may also be absent. The glandular ridges on the back often have white edges and are distinct. The flanks are sometimes conspicuously marbled in black. The moor frog therefore appears comparatively vividly marked overall; the range of variation is individually very large. Only by combining several identification characteristics is it sometimes possible to distinguish them from other brown frog species. The ventral side is whitish and usually unspotted.

Habitat

The moor frog prefers habitats with high groundwater levels or periodic flood dynamics, especially fens, swampy extensive grassland, wet meadows and softwood floodplains of larger rivers, raised bogs and intermediate bogs. This is also where its spawning waters are located, which are characterised by sun exposure and partial weed coverage with sedge, rush and cotton grass fringes or floodplain grasslands. For hibernation, it visits woody biotopes, among other places.

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