In this guide, we’ll answer the question:
“What eats frogs?”
First, you’ll find a short summary of what animals eat frogs in the wild and then get a detailed list of frog predators.
Frogs are tailless amphibians composing the order Anura that are found throughout the world from the tropics to subarctic regions, with the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforest.
Frogs account for around 88% of extant amphibian species. And although many people think that frogs and toads are different animals, there is no formal distinction between frogs and toads in biological taxonomy.
The average lifespan for a frog is 10 to 12 years.
What Eats Frogs?
Animals that eat frogs include alligators, bass, ducks, foxes, hawks, lizards, otters, opossums, owls, newts, raccoons, snakes, and humans. A frog has many natural predators and falls prey to a variety of species.
Frog Predators
Alligators
Alligators eat frogs wherever they are part of the aquatic ecosystem, like in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and parts of China, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Bass
Big game fish like the smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and spotted bass are aquatic animals that eats frogs regularly.
Also, frog fishing is a tried-and-true method for catching bass. So fishermen use plastic frogs as a lure or top-water bait to attract bass fish for sport.
Ducks
Ducks love to prey on a tasty frog or tadpole when they cross paths in the water.
While most ducks are omnivores that eat both plants and meat, a duck will typically only eat a frog that can fit in its mouth because ducks do not have teeth that work in the same way as other animals that can break up and chew food extensively.
Therefore, a duck must kill small-sized frogs that they can swallow whole.
Foxes
Foxes are expert hunters and omnivores with a diverse diet.
A fox will prey on most anything it can easily catch, including frogs on land and tadpoles in shallow water.
Hawks
Hawks are raptor birds that are effective predators against small animals, including frogs.
With its keen eyesight, a hawk can easily spot a frog from high perches and then dive at speeds up to 120 mph to capture its prey with its sharp talons, making these animals some of the most efficient frog predators in nature.
Lizards
Lizards, including bearded dragons, chameleons, and iguanas, can sometimes snack on small frogs.
A lizard typically grabs a frog by whipping out its tongue and pulling the frog back into its mouth. The lizard then kills the prey by biting down hard and crushing it to death before swallowing the frog whole.
Otters
River otters are known to eat a variety of aquatic wildlife, including frogs.
An interesting study published in Ethology Ecology & Evolution found that skinning toads is an innate otter behavior where they use their sharp teeth to remove the skin from the back half of a toad’s body and then eat just the hind legs.
The otter performs this eating ritual because toads have toxins in both their skin and the glands on either side near the front of their bodies and this skinning process helps the otter avoid contact with the poison.
According to research, toads and frogs are both vital sources of food during low fish production or breeding season when they converge at ponds when breeding. These clever creatures use sharp teeth and deft hands that allow them skinning techniques to eliminate any unwanted parts from their prey.
Opossums
Opossums are nocturnal, omnivorous, scavengers that consume large amounts of meat, including frogs they find while scavenging at night.
Owls
Owls are birds of prey that attack frogs on land and in trees by capturing them with their strong talons.
Frogs can also make up a significant part of the owl’s diet in some areas of the world. But the most interesting part about these frog predators is that owls do not always eat this prey in one sitting. Sometimes, an owl will store a portion of the frog as surplus food in tree forks, holes, or the nest for later consumption.
Newts
Newts eat frogs throughout their entire life cycle, including frog eggs, tadpoles, and as adult frogs.
Raccoons
Raccoons eat many amphibians they find on land and water, including the common frog, toads, and tree frogs.
In addition to being an excellent source of protein, frogs can provide raccoons with many other important nutrients needed for survival.
Snakes
Snakes play an important role in our ecosystem by eating many amphibians such as frogs.
The species of snake animals that eat frogs the most include water snakes, garter snakes, pit vipers, the Madagascan hognose snake, and ringneck snakes.
Turtles
Turtles are omnivores that are quite predatory and will attack frogs they come across on land and in water if the frog is small in size.
Other Frogs
Frogs are not safe from each other in the animal kingdom because these amphibians are generalist carnivores that eat each other in every shape and form.
Larger frogs like Cane toads and American bullfrogs will often eat frog eggs, tadpoles, froglets, and smaller adult frogs including their own offspring.
Humans
Frog legs are considered to be a delicacy in many parts of the world, including European countries, the United States, and Asia, which makes humans one of the most prominent mammals that consumer frogs.
According to one research estimate published on the Ecological Society of America, “Indonesia supplied nearly half of the animals entering the world’s US$40 million per year international frog legs trade, and that – collectively – France, Belgium, and the US imported more than 75% of all frog legs traded internationally.”
Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium, and are said to “taste like chicken” which is why so many humans feed on frogs throughout the globe.
What Do Frogs Eat?
Frogs are also predators that must prey on other animals to survive.
You can visit our other guide on what do frogs eat to find out more about what these amphibians feed on for nutrition.
Animals That Eat Frogs Summary
You now know what eats frogs in the wild and which species are the top frog predators.
As you discovered in this guide, there are about 15 animals that eat dolphins in the ocean.
I’m the lead editor and writer for Animal Answer Guide. I enjoy sharing expert knowledge on the various characteristics of common species within the five distinct groups of animals: amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles.
