The ranidae family.

Part three the edible frog.

The edible frog is closely related to the marsh frog, and was introduced to Britain in the nineteenth century from the continent. The edible frog is slightly bigger than the common frog, and its bright green colouration which makes it very distinctive. The more common name for the this frog is the European frog or the common water frog. The edible frog gets its name from its legs being used as a food delicacy in France. There are a few scattered colonies in the south east of England and East Anglia. Female edible frogs are between five to nine centimeters with the male being between six and eleven centimeters in length. The complex of waterways and ponds around the Surrey area has made this species very successful with a growing population. The edible frog will spawn a  lot later than the common frog, normally you can hear the loud call of the male edible frog in May. Their tadpoles grow considerably larger than the common frogs tadpoles before the metamorphose stage. Because of this they may on occasion over-winter as tadpoles and metamorphosis the following spring. They differ from the marsh frog by having a smaller hind leg in proportion to its body, and a different sized meta-tarsal tubercle(this is the bulge found at the base of their smallest rear toe).