Agile frog

The Agile frog is a widespread species in Europe, with the exception of Scandinavia, Northeastern Europe, the British Isles and much of the Iberian Peninsula. The species is also found in northern Turkey. In Bulgaria, the Agile frog is found everywhere, up to about 1 200 m above sea level and as an exception up to 2 000 m above sea level.

The body length of the Agile frog reaches 7 cm. The skin on the upper side of the body is smooth and the hind limbs are relatively long. The head of the species is slightly elongated, with a pointed snout. The pupil is oval, located horizontally. The diameter of the tympanic membrane is almost equal to that of the eye. The sides of the head have a dark temple spot. The back is brownish, grey-brown or orange-brown, with or almost no dark spots. The abdomen is whitish or yellowish-white. The goiter is the color of the abdomen. The croaking is weak. The Agile frog is active mainly at night, but can often be observed during the day. It feeds on insects, worms, snails, arachnids and other invertebrates. In case of danger, the species can make jumps up to 2 m, often changing the direction of movement. The frog is not attached to the water and enters it only during the breeding period (from the end of February to April). It lays its eggs in various reservoirs – puddles, swamps, swamps, lakes, streams, canals and more. The eggs are from 450 to 1 800 in number and are laid in large spherical piles attached to aquatic vegetation. Winters in the water, rarely on land. The species inhabits deciduous and mixed forests in the low and middle mountain level, sometimes moving away from reservoirs. It often enters the settlements. The species is not usually found in pastures, arable land and coniferous forests.

Unknown.

The Agile frog is a protected species included in Annexes II and IV of the Bern Convention. The species is also included in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species with category Least Concern (LC).

*Note: For the description of amphibians and reptiles is used information from: Golemanski, V. & al. (eds). 2015. Red Data Book of the Republic of Bulgaria. Vol. 2. Animals. BAS & MoEW, Sofia [English ed.: ISBN 978-954-9746-22-8 (IBER – BAS), 978-954-8497-18-3 (MoEW)]; Biserkov, V. (Editor), 2007. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Bulgaria. Sofia, Green Balkans, 196 pp.; the website of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).