Backyard Nature: A ‘toothy’ frog

by Marlene Berlin

This frog, hanging out in Linnean Park stream by the footbridge, gave me a start. The reason? For a moment I was certain I saw a big toothy grin.

The appearance of teeth here was a trick of the water and light.

A similar-looking green frog, up close. (photo by Dustykid via Wikimedia Commons)

But it got me wondering: Do frogs have teeth? Here’s what I learned.

Nearly all frog species, including the green frog I saw, have teeth in their upper jaw. The teeth are lost and replaced throughout the frogs’ lives. And they are tiny.

A Florida Museum scan of a green frog skull.

The teeth are useful, though not in the way we use them: to chop up our food. The green frogs’ teeth help them hold onto their prey. Some other frog species have cone-shaped teeth, barely visible in their upper palate. These are used to push their prey – whole – down their throat. But if a frog were to gnaw on you, it would not hurt. The teeth are not sharp and the bite is weak.

Only one frog species is known to have both teeth on the upper and lower jaw – the Gastrotheca guentheri of Colombia and Equador.