The food of the Common frog, <i>Rana temporaria</i>, on high moorland in northern England

Abstract

Analysis of the stomach contents of 427 Common frogs, Rana temporaria L., captured on an area of moorland typical of the northern Pennines, showed that this species is an unspecialized and opportunistic feeder in this habitat. There was a distinct temporal variation in the food eaten which was closely related to its availability. Adult Tipulidae and Lepidoptera larvae each formed a fifth of the diet by volume, while Phalangidae, Coleoptera, and Gastropoda, each formed about a tenth. The diet of the frogs changes as they grow. Small frogs fed almost entirely on small items. The bigger the frog the wider the range of items eaten and the larger the items which were predominantly eaten.