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Common frog

Rana temporaria

A smooth, olive-brown frog with long back legs, hopping from lily pad to lily pad.

Size
About 7cm long
Look for it
February to October
Where
Ponds, damp gardens and long grass

My spotter's list

Leaps from pad to pad and sits blinking at you. Move your pointer and see.

When to look

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Frog

Good to know

Six things about the frog

Skin

Breathing through skin

Frogs breathe with their lungs, but they can also take in oxygen through their thin, damp skin.

Spawn

Frog or toad?

Frogs lay their spawn in big clumps. Toads lay theirs in long strings wound round water plants.

Colour

Changing shade

A common frog can turn slightly lighter or darker to match its surroundings.

Winter

Sleeping it off

In winter frogs hibernate in compost heaps, under logs, or in the mud at the bottom of a pond.

Tongue

A sticky tongue

Frogs catch slugs, snails and insects with a quick flick of their long, sticky tongue.

Toads

Hop or crawl?

Frogs have smooth skin and long legs for hopping. Toads have warty skin and tend to crawl.

The real thing

Photos of the frog

Common frog, photo 1
Photo: Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak Image:MFB.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Common frog, photo 2
Photo: Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Common frog, photo 3
Photo: Syrio, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Out and about

How to spot one

Look in garden ponds in February and March for clumps of spawn. In summer, check long damp grass and under logs, especially after rain.

Lend a hand

How to help

Dig a pond with a sloping edge and no fish. Leave long grass nearby, and a pile of logs or stones for them to spend the winter under.

Keep going

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