If you did not know there are more than 5000 species of frog as well as toads which have been discovered throughout the planet, and because of this massive amount, you can be sure that some of them are going to stick out as a bit less than normal!
Some can be described as creepy, others bizarre, but all can be a little weird.
Because of just the sheer amount of frogs which can be categorized as weird, we have made it our mission to list some of the craziest on this list!
If you are unaware, both frogs and toads are classified as amphibians, and both of them are under the Anura order as well.
The word Anura derives from ancient Greek and it means that the animal is without tail.
So, Anura is commonly used to refer to an amphibian which does not have a tail.
Amphibians within this order can be found in every single continent throughout the world with the only exclusion being Antarctica.
These amphibians are known for adapting to wherever they live, and this means that they tend to have a unique appearance and will always display their own strange behavior.
This means they could end with anything from a weird shape to unique coloration, and even sometimes transparent skin.
There are more weird types of frog (Also check out Do Frogs Have Hair) than you can believe, and we are sure that there will be at least one frog or toad on this list which you can not believe exists.
This section has gathered some of the most bizarre and strange frogs which exist from all around the world.
There were plenty to choose from with just how many crazy frogs and toads exist around the world, so you know that we have some of the best gathered here!
It is worth keeping in mind that some of the frogs and toads which we have gathered in this section may have changed through evolution to be what they are today.
We really recommend you stick around to the end of this list with our final frog seemingly only existing because of a chemical mutation, so make sure you keep an eye out for that one!
Hairy Frog
Our first frog starts the list strong being the hairy frog which you will sometimes find being called the horror frog, a naming which is definitely understood when you first see it.
Its official classification is Trichobatrachus robustus.
This is definitely one of the most weird looking frogs we have gathered on the list and gives it a strong start.
While the weirdly placed hair which it has makes it look unique, what makes it even scarier is the unique defense mechanism which it uses.
This may seem unbelievable, but the hairy frog is actually able to break its own bones, and then it uses these broken bones to make claws.
While some frogs are able to keep themselves hidden by camouflaging into their environment, or others are poisonous to deter attackers, but by breaking the small bones which are located in its pads, the hairy toad makes small barbs which appear like claws, and then it uses this in self defense.
The scientists who have studied this frog are unsure what exactly happens to the broken bone claws once they do not need them anymore, but the most popular theory is that they will return back into the toe pads after the hairy frog has relaxed its muscles.
It is also worth noting that the ‘hairs’ which exit the thighs and torso of the hairy frog which it is named after, are not actually classified as hair.
These ‘hairs’ are actually dermal papillae, and these have their own arteries and these aid them in absorbing oxygen from the water around them.
You can easily compare them to external gills in how they function, and these are actually only found on male hairy frogs who are breeding.
Wallace’s Flying Frog
The official classification for Wallace’s Flying Frog is Rhacophorus nigropalmatus and you will often find it also being called the Abah River flying frog, or sometimes just the gliding frog.
You will find this frog surviving in the incredibly dense jungles which are in Malaysia and Borneo, and they spend most of their time found in trees.
An adult of this species is able to grow anywhere up to 4 inches, and they stand out with their bright green, yellow, and white which helps them in their lush environment.
The most peculiar feature of these frogs are the webbed feet which they have and these have a membrane like loose skiing which is in between each of the toes.
By using this membrane, they are able to glide in between different spots and this is used to avoid predators if they get too close.
This frog is able to glide a little more than 50 feet if they have good leverage, and they have specifically large toe pads, which are used to help them with landing.
It is worth noting that these frogs are not the only frogs which have developed being able to glide, however, they are one of the most interesting looking by having a bright coloration which makes them incredibly photogenic.
Surinam Toad
The Surinam toad is actually quite common, and it has quite a few different names because of this, including; Pipa pipa, star fingered toad, sapo pipa, and sapo chinelo, only to name a couple.
This toad is well known for being found in swamps as well as marshes in freshwater all throughout the north parts of South America.
There are plenty of ways this toad can be described as unique, but perhaps the most important to mention is the shape which is distinctly flat.
It also has a color very close to a leaf, and its eyes are absolutely tiny. It also does not have a tongue, or any teeth.
Furthermore, it also has appendages on the front toes which are star shaped (leading to the aforementioned name of the star fingered toad).
So in spite of having such a weird appearance, this is not actually what makes them so weird, they are actually more well known for how they reproduce.
If you did not know, most frogs or toads will reproduce by laying eggs which are gel coated in the water near them.
A female frog or toad which releases their eggs through their cloaca and then the male will find the eggs and fertilize them.
As you can expect, this is not how the Surinam toad words, and it is definitely a little creepier.
A female Surinam toad will release their eggs, but then the male will embed the eggs back into the female.
These eggs are fertilized and will be inside the back of the female until they have become fully developed.
Once the toads have developed they will come out of the back of their mother and start their life independently.
Purple Frog
The official classification of this frog is Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis and it will also sometimes be referred to as the Pignose frog, and you can find it in India in the western Ghats.
It would be an understatement to say that over the previous hundred years these frogs have remained quite mysterious.
You could find the tadpoles of this species being described as early as 1918, and the adult frogs were actually quite well known by the locals.
The reports of these frogs were actually pretty much ignored up till 2003, and then Franky Bossuyt and S D Biju finally officially documented this species.
Of course this leaves the question of why this frog managed to get ignored for just so long?
The simple answer is that the purple frog will spend most of its life burrowed underground and will stay hidden there for most of its life.
Usually, the only time it will come back up is when it is mating during the monsoon season.
Since field workers tend to not work during the rainy season, the purple frog managed to go without official documentation for so long.
The male purple frog is actually noticeably smaller than the female and when they come above ground for mating, they will ride on the back of the female, and then the female will find somewhere to lay her eggs, and then it will be the job of the male to fertilize these.
Amazon Horned Frog
This frog is officially classified as Ceratophrys cornuta and we are confident in labelling it as one of the most insane frogs found on earth.
It is known for its big mouth and noticeably small legs which make it look quite funny, if you ignore the quite threatening horns attached above its eyes.
This dichotomy of the threatening yet funny appearance is part of what makes this frog so amusing.
In spite of these features which stand out, the coloration is pretty normal looking similar to a dead leaf.
Some will be green, but most are just brown.
The specific frog we are talking about in this section is under the Ceratophyrs genus, and they are sometimes called Pacman frogs, with an obvious naming inspiration.
There are 8 different species within this genus, and each inhabit different locations.
There are some small differences in their size and appearance.
The Amaonian horned frog will also sometimes be referred to as the Surinam horned frog, and these can get up to 8 inches in length and will weigh around a pound.
It is also worth noting that these frogs are also carnivores and they can be found feasting on a variety of lizards, mice, snails, and even some other frogs.
They are able to ambush their prey quite effectively by hiding within leads, and only their head will be exposed, then all they have to do is wait for their prey to walk past.
Turtle Frog
This frog is officially classified as Myobatrachus gouldii and their name is obviously named after how they appear to look like a turtle with the noticeable aspect of not having a shell.
They have shorter and more stumpy legs than a normal frog, and they have small eyes, with a plump body and flatter nose.
On top of this generally weird appearance, they also have some weird looking claws coming from their legs.
Like a lot of unnerving animals, this frog is native to the country of Australia, and it will commonly be found in between Geraldton River and Fitzgerald, and is found in the more sandy and almost arid areas.
This species is also noticeable for being the only species which is within its genus.
It is also able to dig forwards, compared to other burrowing frogs which tend to use their hind legs instead to dig backwards.
Similarly to the aforementioned purple frog, this one mostly feeds on termites.
Titicaca Water Frog
This weird looking frog is classified as Telmatobius culeus and it is officially one of the biggest aquatic frogs and stands out for having a noticeably large amount of excess skin.
This amount of skin is not without use however, and this flappy feature is used to help the frog with their respiration, which is needed since this frog has quite small lungs.
The skin of this frog is able to absorb such an impressive amount of oxygen, it will very rarely need to go to the surface to get any air.
Because of its appearance, locals often jokingly refer to it as the scrotum frog.
This frog can be found in the cooler waters of Lake Titicaca, and this is found in between Peru and Bolivia.
This species is being affected by pollution as well as trout being introduced.
These trout are consuming tadpoles quite rapidly and have led to this species now being endangered.
Quite recently 10,000 of these frogs were found deceased in the shores of the lake they are native to in late 2016.
The exact cause is unknown, but most scientists see this as a negative consequence of pollution.
Glass Frog
As you can imagine, the glass frog gets its name from its noticeably transparent skin which is found in their abdominal area.
The skin is completely transparent, and because of this you can see the heart of this frog actively beating, as well as its veins, liver, and intestinal tract.
This frog belongs to the family Centrolenidae, and this family has two distinct subfamilies and there are several of these species found throughout South and Central America.
The male glass frogs can be found protecting their offspring and they do this by guarding the eggs that have been laid by the female glass frogs.
The female glass frogs will lay their eggs usually, under a lead, and the male will protect them up until they have fully hatched.
This species, as you can imagine is well known for having some amazing camouflage, in spite of this, their eggs still managed to get targeted by wasps.
While you may think this is a big issue, the male glass frog can fend them off having a strong kicking ability.
There was also a new discovery of glass frogs recently with the Hyalinobatrachium dianae now most commonly being referred to as the Kermit frog, this is because of the similarities it has to the famous Muppets character.
It is a distinct lime green and it has big white eyes, it was discovered in 2015 in Costa Rica.
Morogoro Tree Toad
Officially classified as Nectophrynoides viviparus this is an incredibly fascinating species of toad, and while it looks very close to a smaller frog, it is actually a toad which is a part of the Bufonidae family.
You can find this frog in a wide variety of different colors, but what unites them all is the mucous gland you can find on their body.
You can also find paratid glands on the backside of their eyes which is next to their hearing structures called tympani.
These glands will stand out as they are a different color from the rest of their body.
You can find this toad growing up to 2.4 inches in size and they will usually have feet which are partially webbed.
You can find this toad usually in parts of Tanzania, especially in between the Uluguru and Udzungwa mountains.
They will spend the majority of their days among wooded areas at the edge of forests or in bamboo, and they can survive at an altitude over 4400 feet.
In 2004 these toads were classified by the IUCN as vulnerable, but in recent years they have been recategorized as least concern showing that this species is slowly avoiding being classified as endangered.
Shovel-Headed Tree Frog
These frogs are officially called Diaglena spatulata and you will find them being called Mexican Shovel headed frogs as well.
As you can imagine these are natively found in Mexico, most commonly on the coastline in the southwest.
As you can also imagine based off their name, their face is shaped very similarly to a shovel inspiring their name.
There are many comparisons drawn between this frog and the frogs in the Aparasphenodon genus which you are more likely to find in south east Brazil.
These species have in common their duck bill shaped nose with both often earning comparisons to Pinocchio.
South American Common Toad
This toad which is common in South America will often also be referred to as the Miltred toad, or the crested forest toad, and is usually associated with being common.
However, it also has an official scientific classification being Rhinella margaritifera.
This is also considered a species complex which means that you will find multiple species of toad being labelled under this umbrella, but nothing has been made official enough to officially differentiate them.
As mentioned these toads are especially common within South America, especially in the Amazon Basin, Panama, and Guianas.
They have a very good camouflage which is particularly effective with them often being mistaken for a leaf which has fallen, most people are only lucky enough to see them when they are moving.
Due to their status as a complex species you will find they have a wide variety of colors, so there is a wide variety of patterns and coloration which can be used to define this type of toad.
Darwin’s Frog
The official classification of this frog is Rhinoderma darwinii and there are plenty of reasons we can think of for calling this frog weird.
One of the most noticeable characteristics is that the frog is camouflaged to look like fallen leaves, and they are found in a variety of colors from anywhere between green and gray, however, they will always be a dark brown on their underside.
On top of the colors which these frogs are, they also have a long snout which is definitely unique when compared to other amphibians.
However, this unique nose is not the most unique feature of this frog, instead that is its reproductive habits.
Similar to some other frogs, the male of the species is in charge of defending their offspring from any predators, but they go the extra mile and defend the eggs in their mouths until they start moving.
They actually ingest these eggs and will store them in their vocal sac.
They will stay in there once they are tadpoles and all the way through their metamorphosis.
Likewise, they are finally able to get out once they are frogs ready to be free.
Desert Rain Frog
Officially known as Breviceps macrops, the desert rain frog is known for being particularly cute, if not a little creepy as well.
In spite of being so adorable, this frog definitely displays some scary behavior.
Something which makes it stand out quite a bit is that this frog is unable to hop which of course stands out, it also does not ribbit, and it does not hatch eggs which will turn into tadpoles either.
This frog definitely avoids any typical frog based behaviors.
Instead of jumping, when threatened this frog will squeal quite loudly, it also completely skips the tadpole stage during its metamorphosis.
Instead, it will fully develop inside the egg.
Gordon’s Warty Frog
Officially called Theloderma gordoni, this warty frog definitely earns its spot on this list.
This frog has a particularly bumpy dermis as well as having unique coloration, and quite large eyes.
You will find this species in Vietnam, and it tends to spend its time in rainforests and on cliffs.
Its unique white and red coloration helps it stand out from the similar Theloderma corticale which has a green color instead.
This species does not have the advantage when it comes to camouflage, but instead when it feels threatened it will simply roll over and pretend to be dead.
Goliath Frog
This species is officially known as Conrua goliath, and while it does not deserve to be on this list because of any particularly strange appearance or behavior, but instead for the massive size.
You can imagine that African bullfrogs are much bigger than any other frogs you might know, but this frog can get even bigger.
This species gets up to a massive 12.6 inches long, and this is not even including their legs.
They can even weigh more than 7 pounds when fully grown!
They can live an impressive 15 years and live off insects, lizards, crabs, and snakes.
Bonus Frog
This last frog is included as a bonus because its actual species is not known, and they are instead a mutated frog which is likely the result of being exposed to mutation.
The University of Ural Federal District was able to recognize about 60 frogs which were mutated in Krasnouralsk in Russia, and some of these were completely transparent and you were able to see their entire skeleton and organs.
There were even some frogs in this collection which had more toes, or mutated shoulders.
The town they are from had plenty of natural resources, but there was a notable chemical leak into water supplies which likely contributed to the unfortunate mutations which these frogs experienced.
Summary
Hopefully this article has shown you a frog or toad which you did not know existed before, and has astounded what you thought was possible!
There are plenty more frogs and toads which have not been included, so do not think these are all the weird frogs or toads which are out there!
We are a site created by animal lovers, enthusiasts, and pet professionals sharing expertise and knowledge on unusual and beautiful (well we think so anyways) pets.
We have information on everything exotic pet related—from what to do with an ailing turtle to how to set up a terrarium properly for your most precious iguana.
If you’re looking for answers, or are just curious and starting your research, we’ve got you covered!
![Can Turtles Eat Cilantro? [Dos and Don'ts]](https://nature-discovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/can-turtles-eat-cilantro-150x150.jpg "Can Turtles Eat Cilantro? [Dos and Don'ts]")
![Best Sand and Substrate for Your Turtle Tank [Reviewed 2022]](https://nature-discovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/best-sand-for-turtle-tank-150x150.jpeg "Best Sand and Substrate for Your Turtle Tank [Reviewed 2022]")
