Facts, Legends & Myths

Frog facts

It was discovered on a space mission that a frog can throw up. The frog throws up it's stomach first, so the stomach is dangling out of it's mouth. Then the frog uses its forearms to dig out all of the stomach's contents and then swallows the stomach back down again.

Texas horned toads can shoot blood out of the corners or their eyes

Certain frogs can be frozen solid then thawed, and continue living.

A group of frogs is called an army.

There are over 4000 species of frogs and on every continent except Antarctica.

You cannot get warts from toads!

The largest frog is the Goliath frog, which can weigh as much as a housecat.

Frog Legends

Why are the French called frogs?

Sometime around the 18th century, when Paris was surrounded by many swamps, the French nobility that would visit tended to refer to Parisians as frogs because of the swampy surroundings.

American soldiers adopted the nickname for the French during the World War II because they ate frog legs.

At one time, French soldiers wore camouflaged uniforms and resembled frogs.

France's national emblem, the Fleur de Lis, resembles a frog.

Clovis, an early Frankish king, adopted frogs as part of his emblem.

England's Queen Elizabeth I had a French suitor whom she affectionately called her "little frog."

Frog myths

The frog has been a symbol of prosperity, wealth, and abundance in some cultures; fertility in others. The people of Ireland believed them to be close relatives of the leprechaun and capable of playing tricks on you when least expected.

In the Native American culture of the Southwest, the frog carries a piece of wood in its mouth because the Mojave people believe frogs brought fire to humans.

The frog was an acncient Egyptian symbol, later adopted by the conquering  Romans.  The Frog-headed goddess Heket was the goddess of birth and fertility,  and later also of resurrection.

In Japan, frogs are the symbols of Good Luck. One myth I read dealt with the idea that bullfrogs are descended from a great ancestor who could suck all the mosquitoes out of a whole room in a single breath!

In China, they see the "TOAD", not the "man" of the moon. The toad is also considered "one of the five poisons of yin." They say that eclipses happen when the "toad in the moon" tries to swallow the moon itself!

The three-legged toad from China is the traditional pet of the immortal Liu Hai, who is also the Chinese god of wealth. This toad would convey him to any place he wished to go. Occasionally it would escape down a well, and he would lure it out with a line baited with gold coins. This toad is a symbol for riches, and is often pictured with a gold coin in its mouth.

Legends from China and India say the world rests on the back of a giant three-legged frog. If the frog moves, it causes an earthquake.

In India, frogs were believed to personify thunder in the sky. Even the word for "frog" also meant "cloud" in Sanskrit!

Some Australian aborigines and Native American groups believed that frogs were the bringers of rain.