Frogs of the World: A Guide to Every Family

by Mark O'Shea, Simon Maddock

A richly illustrated guide to the world’s frogs that includes species from every family

With more than 7,600 known species, frogs exhibit an extraordinary range of forms and behaviors, from those that produce toxins so deadly that they could kill a human many times over to those that can survive being frozen in ice. Frogs of the World is an essential guide to this astonishingly diverse group of animals. An in-depth introduction covers everything from the origins and evolution of frogs to their life cycles and defense strategies. Beautiful illustrations accompany profiles of species from each family, shedding invaluable light on the enormous range of appearance, habitats, and behavior of these marvelous creatures.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published April 9, 2024

Reviews

[Sam Odell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Clear and vivid images depicting various frog families from around the world. Includes incredible information on what differentiates the families and how they adapted to their environment. Recommends this book for anyone looking to explore the order of anurans.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most species tend to display a lot of biodiversity, especially when they range over a wide distribution of habitats. Very few—at least to my eye—show the kind of diversity seen in frogs. They are truly strange and beautiful creatures, ranging from the golden-hued (and poisonous) to the underbite-afflicted plain green frogs common from fairytales.
“Frogs of the World,” provides exactly what it claims to offer: a guide to the varieties of frogs found throughout the world, as well as some information on related anurans. In addition to information on habitats and conservation status, there are details about diet and mating. Many of these creatures appear to be singletons in their strange habits, and nature, as usual, never ceases to amaze me. The “hairy frog” and the Pseudis Paradoxa (a frog that seems to age in reverse, ontogenetically) were both reminders of what Mother Nature can do when she’s drunk.
It’s not just the monotremes, folks.
And thanks to this book I’ve learned what easily has to be the coolest word to describe defensive behavior I’ve yet encountered: Unkenreflex. I like it so much I think I’ll write it again: Unkenreflex.
Photographs rather than illustrations tend to predominate (aside from on the book’s cover), but that seems to be a wise choice. There’s only so much fidelity that even the greatest artist can bring in trying to mimic nature’s irreplicable majesty.
Get it in hardcover if you can, and display it prominently on your coffee table. Or, even better, get it into the hands of that precocious niece or nephew who’s bound to become a biologist after they get a look inside. Recommended, for the lay and the intermediate who need an easy go-to reference, especially one that is updated to reflect current theories about taxonomic clades.