A fossilized frog known as Triadobatrachus was discovered in Northern Madagascar during the 1930’s. This “proto-frog” dates back to the early Triassic period, 250 million years ago when the area of present day Madagascar was still attached to the landmass of Africa and the super continent of Gondwana.
Frogs are amphibians and belong to the order Anura, an order containing over 90 percent of all amphibians. There are three orders in the amphibian class: Anura (frogs and toads), Urodela (newts and salamanders), and Apoda (caecilians).
All species in the 31 families of Anura are frogs. The family Ranidae contains true frogs and the family Bufonidae contains true toads. True frogs are known for their bulging eyes, longer and stronger hind legs, moist skin, laying eggs in clusters, leaner bodies, and having a preference for aquatic settings. True toads have stubby bodies, short hind legs, dry or warty skin, deposit eggs in long chains, and are adapted to an aquatic or terrestrial lifestyle. These traits are not a definitive method of discerning frog from toad in the other 29 families of Anura.
The frogs depicted are the Witu forest tree frog (Leptopelis concolor), the red-legged running frog (Kassina maculata), and the common ornate frog (Hildebrandtia ornatissima).
