What Do Frogs Eat?

Frogs are the most common amphibians on the planet. Of the approximately 8,885 known species of amphibians, about 7,836 of them are classified as frogs. Frogs need moisture to live and tend to live in ponds, rivers, or lakes, as well as woodlands or grasslands. They range throughout every continent, excluding Antarctica, with most species occurring in tropical climates. You’ve likely heard an army of frogs croaking at night, which is when most frogs get active. Once the sun sets and the moon rises, frogs come out to hunt. You may have seen videos of frogs sticking out their tongues in search of food. But what do frogs eat?

To answer this question, we’ll examine the common foods most frogs like to eat. In addition, we’ll explore how frogs hunt and forage for food. We’ll also take a moment to compare what frogs eat in the wild versus what they eat as pets. Finally, we’ll end with a brief discussion of what baby frogs eat. Let’s hop along to the next section and get started exploring all there is to know about frogs and their diet. 

What Do Wild Frogs Eat?

By and large, most adult frogs eat a carnivorous diet that primarily consists of locally available insects and mollusks. That said, frogs will eat other small prey when available, including small mammals, birds, reptiles, and even other frogs. Frogs generally prefer live prey over dead prey, and adult frogs rarely eat carrion. However, the same can’t be said for tadpoles, which will occasionally eat dead insects and animal matter. As tadpoles, frogs also go through an herbivorous phase during which they eat mostly plants. Like humans, a frog’s dietary preferences change as it matures from a juvenile into an adult. Frogs eat a wide variety of foods based on their age, size, and environment.

The following list includes 10 items that most frogs eat during their lifetimes:

• Insects
• Mollusks
• Birds
• Rodents
• Fish
• Algae
• Spiders
• Reptiles
• Amphibians
• Aquatic plants

Within these categories, you can find foods that make up the diet of the majority of frog species. Common insects that frogs eat include fruit flies, dragonflies, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, ants, and termites. In addition, frogs will also eat worms, slugs, snails, and spiders. While most frogs eat primarily insects, they aren’t true insectivores, as they may also eat other forms of meat. This includes small birds, bats, mice, turtles, and lizards. Some frogs will also cannibalize members of their own species and eat other, smaller frogs and frog eggs. Furthermore, many frogs will also eat small fish such as minnows, guppies, and goldfish. 

Hunting and Foraging

Like other animals, frogs evolved several highly developed senses to help them find food. First and foremost, frogs possess a keen sense of touch. Using the microsensory organs beneath their skin, frogs can detect changes in temperature, pressure, and vibrations around them. Through these vibrations, they can identify the size and location of a particular prey. In addition, frogs also developed a sensitive sense of taste. As a result, frogs won’t eat certain foods that they find repellent. This likely explains why they avoid carrion and generally only eat live prey.

While frogs struggle to focus on objects up close, they possess great long-distance and night vision. In particular, frogs’ eyes are highly sensitive to movement, and their wide peripheral vision helps them to spot prey. Frogs can also smell prey with their nostrils, as well as chemicals in the water around them. 

Frogs use different hunting styles depending on their physiology and environment. That said, most frogs rely on their long, sticky tongues to catch prey. A frog can lift prey nearly 1.4 times its body weight with just its tongue. In addition, a frog can shoot out its tongue and snag prey in less than 0.07 seconds. This kind of speed makes frogs very effective at catching even agile, flying insects like flies and mosquitoes. Once a frog spots a target, it wraps its super flexible tongue around its prey and coats it with sticky saliva. Then, it will yank its tongue back with a force equal to 12 times greater than the force of gravity. Frogs swallow their prey whole, as they can’t chew.

Your Pet Frog’s Diet

What do frogs eat when they live a pampered life in captivity? The truth is that each species of frog possesses its own unique nutritional requirements. That said, pet frogs tend to eat the same foods as wild frogs. An adult pet frog will eat a variety of insects, including crickets, flies, grasshoppers, and locusts. In addition, they’ll also eat worms, redworms, bloodworms, mealworms, slugs, and snails.

If you own a larger pet frog, you could also feed it live minnows or pinky mice. Just remember, most pet frogs only like to eat live prey. This means you’ll need to regularly check your pet frog’s habitat to ensure its food remains fresh and alive. Finally, you can also supplement your frog’s live diet with frog pellets.

Additionally, there are several foods that you should never feed to a pet frog. These include:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Leftovers

What Do Baby Frogs Eat?

What do frogs eat in their newly hatched tadpole form? Unlike adult frogs, tadpoles eat a largely plant-based diet, along with the occasional insect. Shortly after birth, most tadpoles will eat any embryonic egg matter leftover from their egg and then start hunting for food. Tadpoles typically live off algae; however, they will also feed on aquatic plants. Once they grow larger, tadpoles will begin to catch fruit flies, worms, and other small insects. Froglets — young frogs that have recently metamorphosed from tadpoles — eat a similar diet to adult frogs, focusing on small insects and other tiny prey.

Pet baby frogs will eat a similar diet to wild frogs, although some insects may be difficult to source. If you own a baby tadpole, you can feed it algae wafers, leaves, roots, and leafy green vegetables. You can also feed it frog and tadpole pellets, which contain many of the nutrients tadpoles need to grow. On the other hand, you should feed your pet froglet worms, crickets, fruit flies, moths, gnats, and mosquitoes. If appropriate, you can also feed small shrimp or crayfish to your froglet. Before doing so, make sure that any food is smaller than your frog to avoid any choking hazard. It’s advised that you check with your vet or pet store expert before adding new food to your baby frog’s diet.