Are Frogs Protected Animals? Explained Clearly in One Article

Frogs often inhabit rivers, ponds, rice paddies and other places, mainly active in the grass by the water, and sometimes they can also lurk in the water. They are mostly active at night and feed mainly on insects, but also eat some field snails, snails, small shrimp, small fish and so on. The vast majority of the insects they eat are agricultural pests. Now let us take a look together at whether frogs are protected animals!

Are frogs protected animals?

Frogs generally belong to the third-class protected animals, but some special species such as the tiger frog belong to the national second-class protected animals. It is worth noting that frogs are protected animals that the state prohibits killing. Almost all species are skilled at eliminating forest and farmland pests, but in daily life many people regard frog meat as a tonic or a delicious dish, leading some vendors to hunt and kill frogs on a large scale. This will inevitably destroy the ecological balance and thus lead to an outbreak of pests.

Is catching wild frogs illegal?

Catching wild frogs is an illegal act. In recent years, cases of being sentenced for the crime of illegal hunting because of hunting more than 20 frogs have occurred repeatedly in various places, and the risk of eating frogs is also considerable, because frogs carry the parasite “sparganum” in their bodies. Once swallowed, it will pass through the intestinal mucosa into the blood, gradually grow, and travel along the blood to under the skin and even to important parts such as the eyes, lungs and brain, with consequences that are difficult to predict.

What kinds of frogs are there?

1. Black-spotted frog: The black-spotted frog belongs to the “three-have protected animals”, lives amphibiously on land and in water, comes out at dusk and at night to move about and prey, is omnivorous during the tadpole stage, and feeds on insects as an adult. It often inhabits rice paddies, ponds, lakes and marshes, ditches, or the grass near water areas.

2. Golden-line frog: The golden-line frog belongs to the “three-have protected animals” and includes three species: the golden-striped pond frog, the Fujian pond frog and the Hubei pond frog. It is plump in build and is an endemic species widely distributed in China, mainly in the eastern part of China.

3. Little spiny frog: The little spiny frog belongs to the “three-have protected animals”. It is large and stout, with a body length of about 9-12 cm, and a rather dull body color mixed with irregular black markings. It is an endemic species of China, distributed in Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi and other places.

4. Tiger frog: The tiger frog belongs to the “second-class protected animals”. It often lives in rice fields, ditches, reservoirs, ponds, swamps and other places below 900 m above sea level in hilly areas, as well as in the nearby grass. It is burly and sturdy in size and is known as the “frog of Asia”.