Marsh Frog, Bulgaria
I was in the water in a wetsuit when it appeared. Had to stop myself screaming as it hopped on my leg.
Marsh frogs are much more closely tied to water than common frogs, and are almost always found either in the water or next to it ready to jump in at the first sign of a predator.
During the breeding season in Spring and Summer, the male frogs advertise with loud bursts of quacking croaks, almost as if they are laughing.
They produce such an impressive sound by inflating two vocal sacs, which push out from each side of their head like giant bubbles (see these on side of head on the image) These air-filled sacks amplify their calls, so they can be heard clearly from some distance away. Once one male starts to call, his neighbours soon join in, until the whole wetland is filled with a chorus of cackling.
Marsh Frog, Bulgaria
I was in the water in a wetsuit when it appeared. Had to stop myself screaming as it hopped on my leg.
Marsh frogs are much more closely tied to water than common frogs, and are almost always found either in the water or next to it ready to jump in at the first sign of a predator.
During the breeding season in Spring and Summer, the male frogs advertise with loud bursts of quacking croaks, almost as if they are laughing.
They produce such an impressive sound by inflating two vocal sacs, which push out from each side of their head like giant bubbles (see these on side of head on the image) These air-filled sacks amplify their calls, so they can be heard clearly from some distance away. Once one male starts to call, his neighbours soon join in, until the whole wetland is filled with a chorus of cackling.