Lake Frog - Suu Baka
Lake Frog.
The lake frog is the largest species of tailless amphibians in the domestic fauna (15 - 17 cm in length), belonging to the group of green frogs (subgenus Pelophylax). It has a vast range: from Eastern France to Eastern Kazakhstan and from the Netherlands and Perm region to the Balkans and Turkey. Moreover, it is characterized by the expansion of its range and the colonization of new habitats through dispersal along rivers and canals in both European Russia and in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The body length is 6–13 cm, and the weight can reach up to 200 g. The body is elongated, with an oval, slightly pointed snout. A light stripe runs along the head and spine. The body is colored in various shades of brownish-green, with dark spots visible. The eyes are bright golden in color.
In Kyrgyzstan, the lake frog lives along the valleys of rivers, irrigation canals, and lakes. Unlike toads, frogs very rarely leave the water body. They inhabit permanent, sufficiently deep (more than 20 cm) water bodies. Frogs hibernate in the water, burrowing into the silt at the bottom of lakes or swamps. Lake frogs are active almost around the clock, only during the hottest hours do they sometimes hide in the shade of aquatic vegetation in the southern part of their range. In spring and autumn, frogs are active during the day.
Waking up in March - April (in the south - in February, at temperatures no lower than 10°C), they do not show reproductive activity for several days to a month. However, later on, males hold deafening concerts, the sound intensity of which increases due to resonators that are almost black (unlike pond frogs, which have white resonators) and can reach 100 decibels in close proximity to the vocalizing males, which is approximately equivalent to the sound power of a passing train.
Excited males during the breeding season form "chains" of 2 - 4 individuals, with the first one embracing the female.
The female lays from 670 to 16,400 eggs, with a diameter of 1.5 - 2.2 mm, which can swell to up to 8 mm. She spawns eggs in several batches of very different volumes. In the southern part of the range, the female can produce up to seven clutches (in spring and autumn). With age, the volume of clutches increases. However, in females with a body length of more than 11 cm, fecundity decreases. The development of eggs lasts from 3 to 18 days. The larval development lasts on average 2 - 3 months. Sometimes larvae hibernate and reach very large sizes (up to 18.6 cm). In some habitats (in Latvia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan), due to hormonal disorders involving genetic factors, they even develop reproductive organs. Larvae form numerous clusters, with densities in some places reaching 9000 individuals/m³ of water. From such a mass of tadpoles, only 0.5 - 5.5% survive to become yearlings. They reach sexual maturity at the age of 1 - 3 years. The maximum lifespan of lake frogs can reach 12 years. They hibernate from late September to November (adults earlier than yearlings). They usually hibernate in silt at a depth in predominantly flowing, non-freezing water bodies, and occasionally hibernate on land (in the burrows of sand rats). Tadpoles feed on both detritus and microscopic algae, as well as higher plants and animals, and their corpses. Adult frogs primarily feed on insects, and less frequently consume arachnids and earthworms. Sometimes the lake frog even hunts for lizards, snakes, nestlings of small passerine birds, mice (house and field), voles, and shrews.
Distribution: throughout the valleys of all regions of Kyrgyzstan, except for the Naryn region.
Amphibians and Reptiles of Kyrgyzstan
