AnimalTracks.wiki

What the sources say

Common FrogRana temporaria

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Common Frog profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 41 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

Ogrodowczyk et al. 2024

Ogrodowczyk et al. (2024). Rana temporaria. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T173101508A200721782.

The page saysThe common frog is rated Least Concern by the IUCN
The source saysLeast Concern (LC)Note: Red List category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List (taxon id 173101508 matches the DOI); the assessment is the 2024-2 edition named in the DOI; GBIF check, no page quoted beyond the category.
The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysLeast Concern (LC)Note: GBIF copy of the Red List, taxon 173101508.

Source
02

Froglife

Common Frog (Rana temporaria). Froglife.

The page sayssits out winter under rocks or buried in pond mud
The source saysDuring winter they hibernate under rocks, in compost heaps, or underwater buried in mud and vegetation.
The page saysit winters under rocks or buried in pond mud and lives as far north as the Arctic Circle
The source saysthey hibernate under rocks, in compost heaps, or underwater buried in mud and vegetation
The page saysIn Britain it gets through winter tucked under rocks, in compost heaps, or down in the pond, buried in mud and plants
The source saysDuring winter they hibernate under rocks, in compost heaps, or underwater buried in mud and vegetation.
The page saysFroglife says it does not hibernate as such, and on a mild day it may pop out to forage
The source saysThey don’t hibernate as such, and may take advantage of milder patches of weather to come out and forage.
The page saysIn Britain, males grow up to 9 cm long and females up to 13 cm
The source saysAdult males grow up to 9 cm in length and females up to 13 cm in length.
The page saysThe skin is smooth and the legs are long, built for jumping away fast
The source saysCommon Frogs have smooth skin and long legs for jumping away quickly.
The page saysThey are usually olive-green or brown with a dark mask behind the eye, but yellow, pink, red, lime-green, cream and black frogs turn up too
The source saysUsually a shade of olive-green or brown (although can be yellow, pink, red, lime-green, cream or black). Dark patches on the back, stripes on the hind legs, and a dark ‘mask’ behind the eye.
The page saysFroglife says a British spawn raft often holds up to 2,000 eggs, each small black egg wrapped in a clear jelly capsule about 1 cm across
The source saysDeposit ‘rafts’ of spawn, often containing up to 2000 eggs. Each small black egg is surrounded by a clear jelly capsule around 1 cm across.
The page saysIn Britain, adults leave their winter spots in early spring and head straight to a pond
The source saysAdult frogs emerge from their overwintering sites in early spring and head straight to a pond to breed
The page saysMales may piggyback on a female on the way there
The source saysMales have a single vocal sac under the chin and may ‘piggy back’ to the pond on a female.
The page saysEggs go in as early as January in south-west England, and two to four weeks later, depending on the weather, the tadpoles hatch
The source saysClumps of spawn (eggs) are laid in ponds anytime from January (in south-west England) onwards. Depending on local weather conditions, two to four weeks later tadpoles will hatch out.
The page saysTadpoles start black, then pick up gold-brown speckles
The source saysCommon Frog tadpoles are black when they hatch but develop light bronze speckles as they mature.
The page saysThey eat algae and water fleas
The source saysThey feed on algae and water fleas.
The page saysAfter about 16 weeks they grow back legs, then front legs, and leave the water as tiny froglets, usually in early summer
The source saysAfter around 16 weeks the tadpoles start to grow back legs, followed by front legs. When they have fully absorbed their tails they leave the water as tiny froglets, usually in early summer
The page saysFrogs reach breeding age at 2 to 3 years old
The source saysfrogs reach breeding age at 2-3 years old
The page saysAdults mostly feed at night on a wide variety of invertebrates, especially slugs and snails
The source saysTend to be most active at night when they feed on a wide variety of invertebrates.
The page saysFroglife lists habitat degradation and introduced disease as threats
The source saysThreatened by degradation of habitats and the introduction of disease.
The page sayscalls garden ponds extremely important to it, especially in towns
The source saysGarden ponds are extremely important for common frogs, particularly in urban areas.
The page saysFroglife says a raft often holds up to 2,000 eggs
The source saysDeposit ‘rafts’ of spawn, often containing up to 2000 eggs.
The page saysIn the UK the tadpoles hatch two to four weeks later, depending on the local weather
The source saysDepending on local weather conditions, two to four weeks later tadpoles will hatch out.
The page saysFroglife's British figures put males at up to 9 cm long and females at up to 13 cm
The source saysAdult males grow up to 9 cm in length and females up to 13 cm in length.
The page saysIn Britain, the winter hideouts are under rocks, in compost heaps or at the bottom of ponds
The source saysCommon Frogs spend the winter sheltering under rocks, in compost heaps or at the bottom of ponds.
The page saysFroglife says it is not hibernation as such. In milder spells they may come out to forage
The source saysThey don’t hibernate as such, and may take advantage of milder patches of weather to come out and forage.
The page saysCommon frogs lay their spawn in rafts
The source saysDeposit ‘rafts’ of spawn

Source
03

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust

Common frog (Rana temporaria). Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust.

The page saysslugs
The source saysCommon frogs feed on a variety of invertebrate prey, slugs and snails particularly.
The page saysespecially slugs and snails
The source saysCommon frogs feed on a variety of invertebrate prey, slugs and snails particularly.
The page saysAway from breeding time, a frog may wander as far as 500 metres from its pond
The source saysOutside of the breeding season they can roam up to 500 metres from a breeding pond.

Source
04

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Rana temporaria. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysThe frog that lives as far north as the Arctic Circle
The source sayslive as far north as the Arctic circle in Scandinavia, farther north than any other amphibian in the region
The page saysAlmost any damp habitat across Great Britain, Europe and northwestern Asia, from wet meadows to mountain lakes
The source sayscan be found in just about any damp habitat within its range, though they are more common in cooler upland forests and wet meadows. They are the most common frog in mountain lakes.
The page saysThe common frog (Rana temporaria) lives across Great Britain, Europe and northwestern Asia
The source saysis a common terrestrial frog in Great Britain, Europe and northwestern Asia
The page saysInsects, wood lice, spiders, slugs, snails and worms
The source sayseats insects, their larvae, wood lice, spiders, snails and worms
The page saysAnimal Diversity Web says it reaches the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia
The source sayslive as far north as the Arctic circle in Scandinavia
The page saysAnimal Diversity Web gives an average mass of 22.7 g
The source saysAverage mass 22.7 g
The page saysIn breeding season males develop blue patches on the back and throat
The source saysMales develop blue patches on their back and throat during breeding season.
The page saysThey find worms by smell
The source saysThey are able to detect worms by smell.
The page saysThis frog copes well with cold climates
The source saysThey are resistant to cold climates

Source
05

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources

AnAge entry for Rana temporaria. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

The page saysAnAge lists 27 years as the maximum longevity for the species, and says frogs in the wild may live up to 14 years
The source saysMaximum longevity 27 years ... In the wild, these animals may live up to 14 years
The page saysWild frogs may live up to 14 years, according to AnAge, which gives 27 years as the maximum for the species
The source saysMaximum longevity 27 years ... In the wild, these animals may live up to 14 years
The page saysBy its figures, males and females both mature at about 3 years old
The source saysFemale sexual maturity 1,095 days Male sexual maturity 1,095 days

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.