7 Frogs That Are Wonderful Because They're So Weird

<p> bgv23 / <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/panamapictures/2958662745/" target="_blank">Flickr</a> / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">CC BY 2.0</a><span></span> </p>
<p> bgv23 / <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/panamapictures/2958662745/" target="_blank">Flickr</a> / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">CC BY 2.0</a><span></span> </p>

Frogs seem to be a creature that many people are fond of; their ungainly movements and often amusing expressions have often endeared them to much of the world. We have had a scout around for our favorites of the most adorable and oddest frog species that we could find. The results of the search are definitely worth taking a look at!

Tomato frog

Photo: Frank Vassen / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Above, is the tomato frog found in Madagascar. Not much more needs to be said other than, quite simply, it is a frog that resembles a tomato ... which is pretty incredible.

Burrowing frog

Photo: Frank Vassen / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Next, we have the nosy-be-burrowing frog, which can often be found in the undergrowth near the camps of our Madagascan projects. Some have described it as looking like a teabag, others a haggis, but its striking looks are what have allowed it onto this list of adorable and oddest frog species.

Andoany stump-toed frog

In a complete contrast, the next contender is extremely dainty and delicate in comparison to the burrowing frog. The Andoany stump-toed frog is extremely small, in fact it can fit easily on a human fingernail; which, if you look down at your fingernail, seems a little hard to imagine.

Turtle frog

Photo: Paul Morris / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

One frog species that is very odd to look at upon first glance is the turtle frog, which as its name suggests, looks very much like a turtle but one that has lost its shell. It has short, fat limbs and a squashed snout, making the image of a minute turtle complete.

Marsupial frog

Photo: Brian Gatwicke / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Another frog that resembles another type of animal in its name and a part of its body is the male of the marsupial frog, because like a kangaroo it carries its young in pouches. The male of this species has two openings, one on each hip in which newly hatched tadpoles head towards when they emerge out of the sand they have been laid in. They emerge 7 to 10 weeks later as froglets. Much like kangaroos, it is only found in Australia.

Glass frog

Photo: bgv23 / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Possibly the oddest and most fascinating frog species we came across is the glass frog, found in Central and South America. The name comes from the translucent skin on the underside of their bodies, which allows many of the internal organs and sometimes even a beating heart, to be seen.

Surinam toad

Photo: maarten sepp / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

This last species is not a frog, it is a toad, but it is so strange that we had to share it! If you came across this toad (although unlikely unless you are in the Amazon River Basin of South America), you would be forgiven for thinking that it had met with a tragic accident. This flat as a pancake animal is the Surinam toad, and it has tiny eyes, no teeth and no tongue. As well as a strange appearance, it is the reproductive habits of this creature that are also unusual – the male attaches eggs to the females back, her skin then grows to form pockets over the eggs, the tadpoles grow within these pockets and emerge after 20 weeks to start their own squashed lives.

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