Frogs: A Chorus of Colors
Frogs and the Ecosystem Swamp symphonies

"Frogs do for the night what birds do for the day: They give it a voice. And the voice is a varied and stirring one that ought to be better known." - Archie Carr

Green tree frog with throat pouch inflated
Green tree frog with throat pouch inflated
Hylid cinerea
© John Netherton, Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland

Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords—they have been singing for 180 million years. With its mouth closed, a frog pumps air back and forth across its vocal cords. Many male frogs have vocal sacs-pouches of skin that fill with air. These balloons resonate sounds like a megaphone, and some frog choruses can be heard from a mile away.


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