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Tailed Frog Facts

Tailed Frog Facts
Tailed frog is an amphibian that can be easily recognized by the presence of tail. There are two species of tailed frog that inhabit northwestern and southeastern parts of North America. They can be found in Montana, Idaho, California, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Tailed frog lives in cold, fast-flowing and steep mountain streams. Besides adequate temperature and type of a stream, tailed frog requires stable rock bottom, composed of granite usually. Population of tailed frogs has been declined in certain areas due to habitat destruction. Despite that, tailed frog is still not on the list of endangered species.
Interesting Tailed Frog Facts:
Tailed frogs are tiny animals. They can reach 0.98 to 2 inches in length.
Skin of tailed frog has granular texture. It can be brown, tan, reddish, olive green or black in color.
Tailed frogs have slender body, large head and strong legs. Their eyes have vertical pupils. Tadpoles have several rows of small teeth in their mouth.
Tailed frog has wide and flat toes on the hind feet. Thanks to specially designed feet, frog can move easily across the rocks on the bottom of the stream.
Unlike other species of frogs, tailed frogs do not have external tympanum (ear).
Tailed frog is not able to vocalize because it lives in loud environment. Sound of the fast flowing water muffles all other sounds.
Tail of tailed frog is actually extension of cloaca in males. It is used as sex organ which delivers sperm into the female's body.
Diet of a tailed frog depends on the age. Tadpoles consume algae, aquatic vegetation, pollen and small insects. Adults feed on small invertebrates, such as insects and snails.
Tailed frog sits patiently with mouth wide open and waits for the prey. When the prey comes close enough, frog will grab it in a blink of an eye without even moving the body.
Tailed frog is able to survive in extremely (icy) cold water.
Tailed frogs reach sexual maturity at the age of 8 to 9 years. Mating season lasts from September to October.
Tailed frogs have internal fertilization, which means that male injects sperm directly into female's body. This process lasts between 24 to 30 hours. Eggs will be released from the female's body in July.
Female produces 35 to 70 pea-sized eggs in the form of gelatinous mass and places them on the underwater stones. Incubation period lasts 6 weeks.
Tadpoles live in the slow-flowing streams until they develop powerful mouth sucker. Using the sucker, tadpole attaches itself to the rock and prevents strong currents of the stream to wash it away. Process of metamorphosis (transformation into adult frog) lasts from one to four year (depending on the water temperature).
Tailed frog has long lifespan. It can survive from 15 to 20 years in the wild.


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