Agile frog facts for kids

The agile frog (scientific name: Rana dalmatina) is a type of frog found in Europe. It belongs to a group of frogs called "true frogs," which are part of the Ranidae family.

Quick facts for kids Agile frog
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Distribution (green)
Synonyms
Rana agilis Thomas, 1855 Rana gracilis Fatio, 1862 Rana temporaria var. agilis Schreiber, 1875 Rana temporaria agilis Bedriaga, 1881 Rana agilis agilis Cope, 1886 Rana (Crotaphitis) agilis Schultze, 1891 Rana (Rana) dalmatina Guibé, 1950 Rana agiloides Brunner, 1951 Rana mülleri Brunner, 1959 Rana (Rana) dalmatina Dubois, 1987 Rana (Laurasiarana) dalmatina Hillis & Wilcox, 2005

About the Agile Frog

The agile frog has a plump body. It also has long legs and a pointed nose.

Size of Agile Frogs

• Male agile frogs are usually smaller than females.
• Males rarely grow bigger than 6.5 centimeters (about 2.5 inches).
• Females can grow up to 8 centimeters (about 3 inches) long.

What They Look Like

• Their back is usually light brown, reddish-brown, or light grayish-brown.
• They have dark brown, triangle-shaped spots. These spots go from their temple area to their eardrum.
• The underside of the agile frog is white. It does not have any spots.
• During the time they mate, male frogs often turn a darker brown color.

Special Features

• Agile frogs have very long back legs.
• These long legs help them jump much farther than other frogs.
• They can jump up to two meters (about 6.5 feet) in one leap!
• Their pupils, the black part of their eyes, are shaped horizontally.
• The top part of their eye's iris (the colored part) is lighter and golden.
• The eardrum of the frog is about the same size as its eye.
• The gland stripes on their back are not very clear and sometimes broken.

How Agile Frogs Reproduce

Typically fixed spawn clump under water

Agile frogs make a quiet sound. It sounds like "rog ... rog ... rog." This call can last up to 12 seconds. It almost sounds like a chicken clucking. They often call underwater too. This means you can only hear them if you are very close.

Spawning Season

• The time when they lay eggs, called spawning, only lasts a few days.
• During this time, male frogs sometimes gather in large groups.
• They call from the water surface to attract females.
• In Central Europe, spawning usually happens in the first 20 days of March.
• The exact timing can change depending on the weather.

About Their Eggs

• The eggs are laid in clumps.
• Each clump can have between 450 and 1800 eggs.
• These egg clumps are usually attached to branches, roots, or plant stems.
• They are typically found in water that is 5 to 40 centimeters (2 to 16 inches) deep.
• This means the egg clumps rarely sink to the bottom.
• Unlike some other frogs, the agile frog does not lay all its eggs in one big clump.
• A single egg, without its jelly-like covering, is about 1.5 to 2.1 millimeters (0.06 to 0.08 inches) wide.

What Agile Frogs Eat

Adult agile frogs eat small creatures. These include insects and other arthropods.

• They eat caterpillars, spiders, and millipedes.
• They also enjoy flies, beetles, and cicadas.
• Young agile frogs, called tadpoles, eat plant material.

Where Agile Frogs Live

Agile frogs like forests with many trees that lose their leaves. They prefer forests that have plenty of water nearby.

• They often live in the open areas around forests too.
• This is true as long as these areas are connected to the forest by bushes.
• In warm, dry forests, these frogs can live far from water.
• Among the three main frog species in Middle Europe, the agile frog likes warmth and dry conditions the most.

Where You Can Find Them

The agile frog lives in many parts of Europe.

• You can find them in France and the Channel Islands.
• They also live in parts of Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.
• Other places include Italy, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
• They are also found in Austria, Hungary, the Balkans, and Greece.
• You can also find them near the Black Sea.

Past and Present in Great Britain

• Agile frogs used to live in Great Britain a long time ago.
• Evidence of them has been found by archaeologists in East Anglia.
• There have been talks about bringing the species back to Great Britain.
• They have already been brought back to the island of Jersey.
• This was done by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
• The species was almost completely gone from Jersey before this effort.