tree frogs, called chorus frogs and cricket frogs, live mainly on the ground. Other frogs of the United States include leptodactylid frogs, narrow-mouthed toads, spadefoot toads, and tailed frogs. Leptodactylid frogs make up a large family of frogs that live mainly in Australia and South America. Those found in the United States include the barking frog, the cliff frog, and the white-lipped frog. The barking frog and the cliff frog live on rocky cliffs in Texas. These frogs lay their eggs under rocks. Tiny frogs hatch from the eggs, without going through the tadpole stage. The white-lipped frog lives in the southern Rio Grande Valley area of Texas. The female white-lipped frog lays her eggs in a hole near water. She then beats the egg jelly into a foam. The tadpoles live in the foam nest until rain washes them into the nearby water. Narrow-mouthed toads live throughout most tropical and subtropical regions. As their name suggests, these frogs have an extremely narrow mouth. The eastern narrow-mouthed toad, the Great Plains narrow-mouthed toad, and the sheep frog are the only members of this family that live in the United States. All three species live in burrows and eat ants and termites. Spadefoot toads live in Asia, Europe, North America, and northwestern Africa. These frogs are called spadefoots because most of them have a sharp-edged spadelike growth on each hind foot. They use this growth as a digging tool. Spadefoot toads live throughout much of the United States. They dwell underground and are usually seen only after a rain. Several species live in dry regions of the Great Plains and the Southwest. These spadefoots may remain in their burrows for weeks at a time to stay moist. They breed following heavy rains, often laying their eggs in temporary ponds. The tadpoles develop rapidly. If enough food is available, tiny adults may emerge in only 12 days. Tailed frogs live in swift mountain streams of the northwestern United States an...
