Harvard Museum of Natural History

Natural Selection of Behavior

Observing Frogs through Sketching 

Making Sense of Morphologies and Adaptations

Making a Claim About your Frog

Natural History Collections and How They Are Used: Video

Project Overview

Review the diverse group of frogs that are part of this activity.
See additional resources below to access 3-D models of each frog.  

Meet the Frogs


                 Why are there so many different kinds of frogs? How did this diversity arise? This resource kit explores these questions, using instructional videos, sketching activities, and careful observation of 3-D models printed from actual frogs chosen from the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology Herpetology Collection.

Frogs in 3-D

Life Science

Science

View 3-D models of each frog

Red-eyed treefrogs live in tropical rainforest areas of Central America, south to Colombia. They use their broad “suction cup” toes to climb trees and attach to the underside of leaves. Their red eyes might be an adaptation that allows them to see at night, which is when they are active, or they may use them to startle predators. They lay eggs on the underside on leaves hanging over water so that the tadpoles fall into the water after hatching. If unhatched tadpoles are threatened by predators they will quickly hatch and escape (see video).
This is a 3-D printed, hand-painted model.


frog_model_a_callidryas.jpg

Agalychnis callidryas

This large specimen is approximately 6 inches long. 

Rana spinosa is known under many common names, including Chinese Spiny Frog, and Chinese Edible Frog, because it is considered a delicacy in some parts of the world. This frog is dark brown with dense, yellowish mottling, helping it camouflage in its environment. It can be found in rocky streams and other wet areas in China, including Hong Kong. Males have distinctive keratinized skin spines on their chests. The legs are sturdy and muscular, and the toes are entirely webbed. Because it is harvested for food, populations are declining.
This is a 3-D printed, hand-painted model.

frog_model_r_spinosa.jpg

Rana spinosa

The African Clawed Frog is well known because it has been used as a laboratory animal and kept as a pet. Although they are native to southern Africa, they have been introduced to many areas of the world. This frog has a flattened body and wedge-shaped head, and webbed feet which are suitable for its aquatic lifestyle. They can be found in streams and warm, stagnant ponds in arid and semi-arid regions. They are hardy and long-lived, some captive individuals living for more than 20 years.
This is a 3-D printed, hand-painted model.

frog_model_x_laevis.jpg

Xenopus laevis

Common name: Spotted Snout-burrower, Spotted Shovelnose Frog

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Frogs in 3-D

Meet the Frogs

Background Knowledge

Agalychnis callidryas