European Common Frog by Ken _Gilliland

Poser • Animals • posted on Apr 07, 2017

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Description

Here's an image from my latest project, frogs. European Common Frog (Rana temporaria) is also known as the European Common Brown Frog, or the European Grass Frog. It was the inspiration for the Brothers Grimm story, “The Frog Prince”. A group of vocalizing frogs is called a 'choir'. It is found throughout much of northern Eurasia as far north as Scandinavia and as far east as the Urals and Japan. Outside of the breeding season, common frogs live a solitary life. They prefer damp places near ponds or marshes or in long grass.They are normally active for much of the year, only hibernating in the coldest months or in the most northern extremities of their range, where they may be trapped under ice for up to nine months of the year. Recent studies have shown that in these conditions they may still be relatively active at temperatures close to freezing. In the British Isles, common frogs typically hibernate from late October to January. They will re-emerge as early as February if conditions are favorable, and migrate to bodies of water such as garden ponds to spawn. Where conditions are harsher, such as in the Alps, they emerge as late as early June. Common frogs hibernate in running waters, muddy burrows, or in layers of decaying leaves and mud at the bottom of ponds. The oxygen uptake through the skin suffices to sustain the needs of the cold and motionless frogs during hibernation. They can live upwards of 14 years in the wild and 27 years in captivity. While they are not threatened, there is an overall decline in population due to degradation in their habitats, such as disturbance of breeding ponds, unusually hard freezes, and pollution by herbicides. These have all been known to wipe out the species in a region. Rendered with minor postwork in Poser's Superfly. Models include my Water Lily Garden, Duckweed from my Duck Pond set and my Nature's Wonders Frogs.