The Quirky Observation
Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords. Male frogs have vocal sacs—pouches of skin that fill with air and resonate sounds like a megaphone that can be heard as much as a mile away. In English, it’s widely accepted that frogs say “ribbit, ribbit.” But in Italian it’s “kra-kra,” in German “kwaak” (sounds like a duck to me), in Thai “op-op”, in Japanese “kerokero,” and so on. But perhaps that’s not surprising, because frogs really do make a wide range of sounds that many people find soothing. You can try it out for yourself with these URLs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCGqr3ZyAmM (wide variety) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVvAFYE3Sjw (more than an hour long – will keep you awake or put you to sleep!)

I like saying ribbit, ribbit. If it’s good luck to say, “white rabbit, white rabbit,” first thing  on the first day of each month, couldn’t we guarantee good luck for the month ahead by saying, “riibbit, ribbit” as the last thing on the last day of the month – particularly while imbibing Jeremiah’s mighty fine wine?

The Question
Do you like frogs generally? Why or why not? Did you ever raise tadpoles to frogs? Have you ever eaten frog legs? If not, would you consider doing so? Share.

Featured Product
Because April is Nature Month and features Earth Day, it seems fitting to end the month by highlighting the World Wildlife Fund where you can buy frog socks in two styles and choose among dozens of other animals for your sack of socks (3 pair). Consider a donation today.

The Quiz
The wide variety of frogs means there are a great many quirky facts about them and an opportunity to learn something new. According to what I believe are reliable sources, in the quiz below only two statements are false, and one of those only slightly.

Can you tell which of the following statements are not quite true?

1. Frogs do not drink water but absorb water through their skin.
2. Launched by their long legs, many frogs can leap more than 20 times their body length.
3. Frog bones form a new ring every year when the frog is hibernating, just like trees do. Scientists can count these rings to discover the age of the frog.
4. Frogs have excellent night vision and are highly sensitive to movement. The bulging eyes of most frogs allow them to see about 220 degrees out of 360.
5. When a frog swallows food, it pulls its eyes down into the roof of its mouth, to help push the food down its throat.
6. Many poisonous frogs are boldly colored to warn predators of their dangerous toxic skins. Some non-poisonous frogs have developed the same coloring as a means of throwing off predators.
7. A group of frogs is called a raft.

There is so much more to know. Check out the resources.

The Shameless Request