Water Frog

The common frog is a mostly greenish-brownish water frog with black spots on the back, a broad light green stripe on its back and dark marbling on the hind legs. The common frog is not a separate species in the biological sense, but a hybrid, i.e. a cross between a marsh frog and a small water frog. The males are endowed with sack-shaped or balloon-like protuberances called sound bubbles. Their croaking concertos can be heard during the months of May through to August. Croaking is a method of attracting the females during the mating season. The sound bubbles also visually enhance the male's appearance, making him more attractive to the female. The females lay between 3,000 and 8,000 eggs per mating season. The tadpoles develop as early as one week after spawn has been laid. However, the adult frogs are only sexually mature from the age of three. The word "esculenta" in the type species name, Rana esculenta, means edible and indicates that in earlier centuries the hind legs of this frog were a popular food.