Look Before You Leap and Hop To It!

A Frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians.  The word amphibian means two-lives.  Frogs begin their lives in water as eggs and then tadpoles.  When they are fully developed they live on land. There are over 5,000 species of frogs and they are found all over the world, on every continent, except Antarctica.

A group of frogs is called an army. These amphibians are famous for their croaking sounds, leaping abilities, bulging eyes, and slimy skin. Frogs live in and around still or show-moving fresh bodies of water.  Not all frogs are green.  There are many colourful species such as red, blue, orange, yellow, and purple.  Some are multi-coloured and may have spots, patterns, or stripes. Most of the bright, colourful species are found in tropical regions.

Frogs have no tail except as larvae (tadpoles).  Most have long hind legs, elongated ankle bones, webbed toes, large eyes, no claws, and a smooth or warty skin. Their eyes and nose are on the very top of their heads. Their bulging eyes allow them to see in front, on both sides, and partially behind them. The position of their eyes on their head gives them an almost 180-degree field of vision. 

These nocturnal creatures have superior night vision which enables them to hunt prey easily in the dark without moving. Frogs can’t keep their eyes open when eating. When they swallow food, frogs pull their eyes down into the roof of their mouth. Their eyes help push the food down their throat. Frogs don’t drink water, they absorb water through their skin.

Frogs do have teeth and they can bite if they happen to interact with humans or other creatures bigger than them.  The small teeth on the roof of their mouths are used to keep the frog’s dinner from escaping before it has had a chance to swallow it.  If a frog feels threatened or if you hand-feed a pet frog, some species have been known to bite you. 

Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords. The male frogs have vocal sacs which are pouches of skin that fill with air. These balloons can resonate sounds like a megaphone.  Each frog species has its own special call and bullfrogs can be heard up to a mile away. Males croak during mating season and the louder they croak, the more likely they will attract a mate. 

Some frogs can jump a distance greater than 20 times their body length.  The 3-inch South African sharp-nosed frog holds the world’s record.  It jumped 44 times its body length, leaping more than 130 inches. Not all frogs can jump. Those with shorter back legs can hop, crawl, or walk.   

The world’s tiniest frog is about the size of a common housefly.  This frog lives in leaf litter in the rain forests of Papua New Guinea.  The largest and heaviest frog on earth is named the Goliath Frog.  It lives in the rainforests of Africa and grows up to 12.5 inches. The golden poison frog lives in Central and South American rainforests. It is about the length of a paperclip and its skin secretes enough nerve toxin to kill 10 humans. Most poison frog species are colourful and their vibrant colouring warns predators to stay away.  

These are the sayings found on the bookmark called Advice from a Frog.

• Make a splash

• Look before you leap

• Don’t jump to conclusions

• Enjoy a good swim

• Stretch your legs often

• Spend time at your pad

• Hop to it!

Here are my comments about each of these sayings. 

• Make a splash - Attract a lot of attention.  As entrepreneurs we want to attract the right audience.  

• Look before you leap - Before acting on a new idea one needs to consider the possible consequences of your actions. What will happen if you don’t do something?

• Don’t jump to conclusions - If you don’t know all the facts, don’t decide too quickly that something is true. 

• Enjoy a good swim - I enjoyed a swim in my pool each day this summer. We were so fortunate to have such great weather.  Swimming is not weight bearing and the exercise I was able to get each day was invigorating.  

• Stretch your legs often - Move more, sit less.  Don’t forget to get up and move.  I need to stretch my legs.

• Spend time at your pad - Spend time at home and do things with your family.

• Hop to it! - Get busy and take action.

Have a great day everyone.  Hop to it!

# living life abundantly  # published author # travelling tuesdays