FROGS AND THEIR RELATIVES 



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82. Habits of frogs. There are many kinds of frogs, 

 differing from one another considerably in size and color ; but 

 all frogs live in places where water is more or less abundant. 

 Frogs are often found either on the banks of ponds and 

 streams, or floating on the surface of the water with only the 

 tip of the nose above water (Fig. 78). In color they usually 

 resemble their surroundings rather closely, and so secure 

 a certain degree of protection from fishes, snakes, birds, and 



FIG. 78. Frogs in their habitat. Four frogs are shown ; in the middle of 

 the picture a black snake is preparing to seize the frog. (Part of 

 an exhibit at American Museum of Natural History.) 



man, which are their more common enemies. When pur- 

 sued, they quickly disappear beneath the water and often 

 bury themselves in the mud at the bottom until the need of 

 air compels them to return to the surface. Late in the 

 autumn they burrow in the mud and remain there until the 

 following spring. The more or less pointed snout of the frog, 

 its slippery skin, its long, muscular legs, and its webbed feet 

 all adapt the animal for rapid swimming through the water. 



