Wood frog, or kvakshi (lat. Hylidae) woods, a detachment of hairless amphibians, the Kwakshi family.
Description
Wood frogs or quaks are one of the most numerous families (more than 700 species) among amphibians.
Kvakshi is distinguished by a variety of appearance since this family includes many species. Some of them are characterized by a flat structure of the body, others are similar to small frogs, and some simply broke into volumes. Kwaksh bodies are also diverse their length varies from several centimeters (miniature lithium), to impressive 13 cm the same longlegged lithium. These amphibians have sexual demorfism usually females are almost twice as many males. Many kvakshi have biocular vision and are able to determine the distances with high accuracy and make jumps: due to the eyes directed slightly forward.
Litoria is longlegged
Any type of kvaksh boasts the presence of teeth located on the upper jaw.
Between the fingers of the woody frogs are membranes and, using them, some types of Kwaksh are able to plan a fairly impressive distance (up to 2m).
Many types of wood frogs during marriage games use a throat bag.
Appearance
The coloring of wood frogs is extremely diverse. The main role is played by the species. Most of the kvaksh have a masking color in swamp-brown tones with a wide variety of stains, which ensures complete merger with the surrounding landscape. Someone is disguised as a lichen, someone under a dry leaf, and most kvaksh are capable of changing coloring depending on the environment. It is interesting that for such a change, not visual, but tactile sensations are used and the frog can change the color in complete darkness. The coloring of these amphibians can affect both temperature, humidity, and even mood.
Ordinary kvaksha
A characteristic feature inherent in almost all types of wood frogs is the presence of suckers on the fingertips, which can distinguish adhesive lymph when pressed. And due to this, the frog will easily stick to any surface even vertical and absolutely smooth such as glass. The same suction cups are able to soften the blow. The skin of the kvaksh throat is also equipped with glands that can secrete the same liquid.
Where it lives
The habitat of this extensive amphibian family is quite significant and spreads to the entire moderate belt of Europe, the north of Africa, Australia, both America, Asia, China, Japan and many other countries from Morocco to Egypt and Turkey. In the central part of our country, only two species of the Kwaksh are widespread ordinary and Far Eastern.
These amphibians prefer to dwell in wet tropical forests, subtropics, broadleaved and mixed groves, and on the coast of reservoirs with standing water or in swampy areas.
Lifestyle
Most of the species of these woody frogs are adapted precisely to woody existence, however, there are those that prefer a ground lifestyle (pearl kvaksha) and a semiwater element (California kvaksha). You can even meet the quaksh who live in desert conditions and even underground.
Pearl Kwaksha
Usually these frogs are active at night. They can perfectly navigate the terrain and without problems they can find the way home. Some species can even jump up to one and a half meters.
In case of danger, woody amphibians quickly overturn and pretend to be dead.
The northern species of these amphibians lie in hibernation for the winter, using stones, voids, hollows or just a layer of leaves. Sometimes they burrow even into the silty bottom of the standing reservoirs.
Wood kwakshi feed on insects and invertebrates (flies, mosquitoes, and so on), but if we are talking about large species, they are able to consume small vertebrates (lizards, mice and even frogs).
Kwakshi’s life span is about five years, but there are known when representatives of these species survived in captivity up to 20 years.
Flying kvaksha
Reproduction
Regardless of the type and lifestyle, almost all types of quacksh are closely related to water especially when it comes to the period of reproduction.
Some of them throw caviar to the bottom of the reservoirs, attaching it to stones and plants, and their tadpoles can attach to stones thanks. Some of the kvaksh lay caviar over the reservoir, attaching it to the foliage and tadpoles simply fall into the water. Sonora Kvaksh can be found in almost every puddle. Some kvakshi arrange nests in the sinuses of foliage or hollows of trees, under the bark in any time reservoirs that will regularly be filled with water in rainy times.
Redeyed kvakshi
One female usually lays several servings of the game (from 3 to 21) and each of them is a lump from many eggs. Thus, one female is able to postpone almost 2000 eggs. Embryos develop for several weeks, and then tadpoles hatch them and they are already growing for up to three months. Some of the larvae experience winter and only then turn into small frogs.
The frogs reach puberty at about the age of several years up to four.
Interesting Facts
Not all quaks are accustomed to using readymade ponds as a spawning ground. For example, phyllomeduzes arrange nests, rolling up a pipe from the leaves and they put the game into it. Brazilian kvaksha leaps hollow with secretions for perfect waterproofing while independently fills the hollow with water in order to avoid the process of rotting.
Mixed kvaksha
Some kvakshi create spawning grounds in the form of an isolated pool at the bottom of the reservoir.
Care for the offspring of the offspring of Trachycephalus Resinifictrix their male, fertilizing the female caviar, calls another, which also lays caviar in the same nest. But this game will simply serve as food for the first tadpoles.
