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With their unmistakable croaking, frogs are clearly part of Germany's fauna. But how many green frogs are there between the North Sea and Lake Constance? We present all native species with a picture.
In a nutshell
- Frogs slimmer, smoother, and more bouncy than toads
- a total of 4 native species
- all particularly protected, some severely threatened
Distinguish between frogs and toads
Frogs belong to the class of amphibians and usually live in moist areas such as moors, lakes or on the banks of rivers. There they are often confused with toads. Although colloquially both are called frogs, they are different families within the order Anura.
The common toad (Bufo bufo) is one of the most common toad species in Central Europe and differs quite clearly from frogs in terms of physique, skin texture, locomotion and colour.
Frogs are easily recognized by the following criteria:
- slim
- smooth skin
- wet
- pronounced jumping legs
- Jumping as ordinary locomotion
- Range: up to 2 meters with one jump
Tip: Frogs are hard to miss, especially during the mating season. The males want to impress the females with loud croaking.
Native Green Frogs
There are 4 native green frog species in Germany. In the following, we present their special features with an image.
Lesser Edible Frog (Rana lessonae)
- Size: 4 to 7.5 cm
- Appearance: Grass green to blue-green or brown, glandular ridges and brown to black spots on back, dark marbled, short thighs, white vocal sac
- Distribution: Europe-wide, missing in Germany in coastal regions and in parts of the south-west
- Habitat: lush, small, nutrient-poor bodies of water such as forest bog ponds, ponds or ditches
- Breeding season: March to July
- Courtship call: purring, all day
- Eggs: Clusters of 500 to 3000 small eggs, brown above, light yellow below
- Conservation status: Europe-wide protected according to the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive (FFH); protected according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG), no acute threat to existence
- Special features: less strictly bound to bodies of water, mostly hibernating in land hiding places
Notice: The Small Edible Frog can have offspring with the Marsh Frog if they live in the same area. These are then called pond frogs.
Tree frog (Hyla arborea)
- Size: 3 to 5 cm
- Appearance: leaf-green, rarely also brown, grey, yellow or mottled with a continuous black line; whitish underside
- Distribution: Europe-wide
- Habitat: sunny, small bodies of water with little fish and little vegetation, with structures of tall forbs and shrubs nearby
- Breeding season: April to May
- Courtship call: App
- Eggs: 50 to 100 eggs in shallow water zones, yellowish to light brown on top, creamy white underneath
- Protection status: Europe-wide protected according to the Habitats Directive; strictly protected under the Federal Nature Conservation Act
- Special feature: adhesive discs on the ends of the fingers and toes, can also be in bushes
Marsh Frog (Rana ridibunda)
- Size: 5 to 14 cm
- Appearance: olive or grass green to brown; clear glandular ridges on back; brown to black spots on back; long, marbled thighs; light green to brown central stripe on back; gray sac
- Distribution: Europe-wide
- Habitat: Aquatic for life. prefer large ponds, lakes and backwaters that are rich in nutrients and vegetation.
- Breeding season: April to June
- Courtship call: cackling laughter, all day
- Eggs: Up to 10,000 small eggs in several nubs, brown above, light yellow below
- Protection status: specially protected according to BNatSchG and Federal Species Protection Ordinance (BArtSchV), no acute endangerment
- Special feature: largest water frog species
Pond Frog (Rana esculenta)
- Size: 6 to 12 cm
- Appearance: Green to tan, black spots on back, black marbling on hind legs, light gray sac
- Distribution: Europe-wide, especially Eastern and Central Europe
- Habitat: Standing water, preferably sunny and rich in vegetation
- Breeding season: May to June
- Courtship call: crackle
- Eggs: up to 1000 small eggs, offspring of pure pond frog pairs often do not reach sexual maturity
- Protection status: Specially protected according to BNatSchG and BArtSchV, no acute threat to existence
- Special feature: actually not a separate species, but "only" a hybrid species
frequently asked Questions
Are all native frogs green?No, the common frog (Rana temporaria), moor frog (Rana arvalis) and agile frog (Rana dalmatina) also come from here, but unlike the green frogs presented here, they have a clearly brown basic color.
Do all frogs croak?No. In principle, only the males croak in all species. The following applies: Whoever croaks the loudest impresses the most females.
How do frogs get into my garden pond?Contrary to popular belief, most frogs don't just stay in water. You can sometimes even cover up to 2.5 kilometers. Some frogs find their way into your garden pond by accident. If you want to deliberately settle frogs there, you can also purchase tadpoles from a breeder and release them in the pond.
What does frog protection status mean?According to the protection regulations, you must not catch, injure or kill the frogs, or destroy their habitat. If you violate these requirements, you must expect a fine in any case. The amount of the penalty varies from state to state.