DVOŽIVKE (5.r NIS) (Maj 2024)
Žaba, katera koli od različnih brezživih dvoživk, ki spadajo v red Anura. Če se strogo uporablja, je izraz lahko omejen na katerega koli člana družine Ranidae (prave žabe), širše pa se ime žaba pogosto uporablja za razlikovanje gladkih, skočnih anuranov od počepov, bradavičastih, skočnih, ki jih imenujemo krastače.
Anura
Vključuje žabe in krastače, ki jih zaradi široke razširjenosti pozna večina ljudi po svetu. Ime žaba
Sledi kratko obravnavanje žab. Za popolno zdravljenje glejte Anura (žabe in krastače).
Na splošno imajo žabe štrleče oči, brez repa in močne, prepletene zadnje noge, ki so prilagojene za skoke in plavanje. Imajo tudi gladke, vlažne kože. Številni so pretežno vodni, nekateri pa živijo na kopnem, v burjah ali drevesih. Število odstopa od značilne oblike. Žabice žabice (Hyperolius) na primer plezajo afriške žabe z lepilnimi diski. Leteče žabe (Rhacophorus) so drevesne rakoforje v starem svetu; lahko drsijo 12 do 15 metrov (40 do 50 čevljev) s pomočjo razširjenega pasu med prsti in prsti (glej drevesno žabo).
The snout-vent length of frogs ranges from 9.8 mm (0.4 inch) in the Brazilian Psyllophryne didactyla to 30 cm (12 inches) in the West African Conraua goliath. The male anuran is generally smaller than the female.
Although many frogs have poisonous skin glands, these toxins do not usually provide protection from predatory mammals, birds, and snakes. Edible anurans rely on camouflage; some blend with their backgrounds, while others change colours. Several species have bright colours on their underparts that flash when the frog moves, possibly confusing enemies or serving as a warning of the frog’s toxicity. Most frogs eat insects, other small arthropods, or worms (see video), but a number of them also eat other frogs, rodents, and reptiles.
The annual breeding of frogs usually takes place in fresh water. In the sexual embrace (amplexus), the male clasps the female from behind and extrudes sperm over the eggs as they are ejected by the female. The eggs, laid in numbers varying from a few hundred to several thousand (depending on the species), then float off in clusters, strings, or sheets and may become attached to the stems of water plants; the eggs of some species sink. The tadpole hatches in a few days to a week or more and metamorphoses into a frog within two months to three years. During metamorphosis the lungs develop, limbs appear, the tail is absorbed, and the mouth becomes typically froglike. In some tropical frogs, the eggs are deposited on land and the young hatch as froglets, rather than tadpoles.
