Can Frogs Fly?

Frogs cannot fly but there are some frogs such as Wallace’s flying frog that can glide in the air.

This treefrog species from Malay has adapted themselves for leaping to chase and catch flying prey such as insects. Wallace’s Tree frogs have webbed feet with long fingers and toes that enable them to move quickly and jump to a great height. This tree frog stretches its fingers and toes wide apart to increase the surface area such that it can glide in the air for long distances. They have the ability to glide about 15 meters from one branch to the neighboring tree branch. This gliding ability of the frog helps to fly high and catch its prey easily.

Wallace’s flying frogs are tailless amphibians belonging to Anura’s order. They can be found in the dense forests of western Indonesia Borneo and Sumatra. This specie was named after a biologist Alfred R Wallace who first identified them. Their body length varies in the range of 80-100 mm and the male Wallace’s flying frogs are comparatively smaller than the female ones. They usually have bright shiny green back and white to pale yellow underside. They have oversized adhesive toe pads that help them in soft landing and to easily stick to the tree trunks.

Professor Atom

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Professor Atom is a science enthusiast and alumni of IIT Bombay. According to him, every question can be solved with curiosity and mind mapping. ( Curiosity = Asking Questions = Learning )

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