Hey, smarty pants, let me tell you, one of the coolest things about being a trusty narrator is I never quite know where I'm going to end up.
Sometimes I'm in space. Sometimes I'm in the ocean.
Sometimes I'm inside the human body. I'm sitting on a lily pad floating in a pond.
Just like what animal? Did you say a frog?
That's right. I'm sitting on a lily pad just like a frog.
Oh, also with a bullfrog. Sup. That's another cool part of being a trusty narrator.
You never know who or what you'll be hanging out with.
And why exactly are we sitting here on a lily pad?
We're waiting. Gotcha. Um, waiting for what, exactly?
That. Whoa, you just snatched that, that... Mosquito, I think.
That mosquito right out of the air with your lightning fast tongue.
Oh yeah, that is good eating right there.
I will take your word for it. What else do you snack on?
Oh, I'd never turn down a juicy spider. Or if I'm really hungry, a crispy green grasshopper.
You hungry, trusty narrator? I was, but I think I'll just stick to my PB&J sandwich.
Your loss. I gotta say, Frog, it sure is tranquil around here.
Tranquil? I do not know what you're looking at.
There is a lot going on around here, especially this time of year.
Really? Really. And here I was thinking we were just sitting around on a lily pad waiting for an insect or bug to fly or crawl too close and...
Well, we're doing that too. But like I said, this is our busy season.
Ah, Smarty Pants, what time of year has my frog friend so excited?
In particular, what season is most eventful at the pond?
If you said springtime, you're right. Oh yeah, springtime is when lots of critters, both large and small, literally come to life.
This is when things are really happen, especially for frogs like me.
Great! I'm sure the smarty pants would love to know more about frogs.
Like, how many different species of frogs are there?
What's the difference between a frog and a toad?
What animals do frogs need to look out for?
And is it true frogs are born with a tail and no legs?
It sounds like it's time for another whiff of science on...
Who smarted? Who smarted? Who's smart? Is it you?
Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up!
Everyone, we make smarting lots of fun on Who's Smarted?
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All right, trusty. Hop to it. What do you want to know first?
I get it. Hop to it. Because frogs hop. Very funny.
Yep. And even funnier when you explain the joke.
Yeah, you're right. I won't do that any.
Relax, trusty. I'm just ribbiting you. Oh, I get it.
Because frogs say rib... Never mind. Smarty Pants, what's the first thing we should know about frogs?
Ooh, I know. What category of animal do frogs belong to?
Is it A, reptiles? B, mammals. C, marsupials.
Or D, something else. What do you think, smarty pants?
The answer is D, something else. Frogs are what's known as amphibians.
Yep, sorry Smarties if you didn't get that.
I made that a little trickier than normal, but I know a lot of you got that, so good job!
And for a follow-up question, what is a main qualification of an amphibian or amphibious creature?
The answer is... We can live on both land...
And in the water. I gotta say, that's pretty cool.
It sure is. We've got the best of both worlds.
You get the best. Believe it or not, we've been able to adapt to each environment for millions of years.
Whoa. Did you say millions of years? Yep. ever since the dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Wow, frogs have been with us a long, long, long, long time.
And when we say frogs, about how many different species are we talking about, Smarty Pants?
Would you say there are about 100 species of frogs, 1,000 species, 3,000 species, or around 5,000 species of frogs?
Froggy? Believe it or not, there are some 5,000 different species of frog in the world.
And when I say the world, I mean it. Frogs live on every continent.
Except one. Any guesses which one? If you said Africa, you're very cold.
If you said Antarctica, you're very hot.
Because Antarctica is way too cold for frogs to live on.
That felt like a very confusing way to say frogs do not live on Antarctica.
But I get what you're going for. I'm just saying.
True or false? New frogs are being discovered all the time.
The answer is true. Hopefully, the new frogs they find won't be as judgy as my friend here.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Here's a question I'm curious about.
Do all frogs look basically the same? You're pretty much all green except for a white belly.
Is that the universal frog look? Absolutely not.
I got cousins down in South America called the Amazon Milk Frog that are covered in color.
Mm-hmm. And I've got another cousin in Central America called the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog. that has a red body with blue legs.
Yikes! I don't think you want to get too close to them, smarty pants.
So what about toads? Do toads count as frogs?
And if not, what's the difference? Great question, trusty.
Do you mean that? Or are you just being nice now?
Hey, man, I'm trying. I'm trying. Anyway, what do you got?
It's like this. Toads are a subclassification of frogs.
That means all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads.
You get it? Got it. Good. the differences between frogs and toads can be pretty subtle or small in fact there's no scientific distinction between them Oh, so what are the differences?
Mostly physical stuff. Frogs have bulgier eyes than toads. and longer hind legs that help us hop.
Toads have shorter hind legs that are better for walking.
That's because toads spend more time on land while frogs prefer the water.
Because of that, frogs have smoother, slimier skin, while toads have bumpier, drier skin.
Very interesting. Oh, and all toads are poisonous.
Poisonous? Yep. Toads have glands behind their eyes that secrete or ooze out toxins onto their skin.
So if you or the smarty pants ever handle a toad, be sure to wash your hands good afterwards.
Thanks for the tip. Say, there seems to be some kind of commotion over by that big log sticking out of the water.
What do you think's happening? Oh, that.
That's where it all begins. Where all what begins?
Come on, let's go take a look. See those clusters of jelly-like blobs on the edge of the log?
Yeah. Moving a bit closer. Closer. Okay, I'm much closer now.
This isn't some kind of gag or prank, is it?
Who, me? Never. Trust me, this is an amazing moment in nature.
Just watch. Oh, wait. Something's happening.
What do you think it is, Smarty Pants? I'll tell you all about it right after this quick break.
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Right now, I'm standing in a pond along with my sarcastic frog friend who is showing me something they claim is amazing.
But right now, all I can see is a jelly-like substance on the side of a log.
Wait, lots of tiny black spots with itty-bitty tails are starting to emerge from the jelly.
What are they? Smarty pants? Do you know?
Why, they're tadpoles, otherwise known as baby frogs.
Wow. So that means those jelly-like blobs are actually eggs?
Exactly. The eggs protect them as they form.
Of course, right now they have no arms or legs.
Just a long tail. Wait, I see some other little frogs that must have hatched earlier.
They've got arms and legs starting to poke out.
Yeah, those frogs are about six to eight weeks old.
In about three to four months, they'll lose their tail entirely and you'd never even know it existed.
Wow, look how many there are. Yep, of course.
Not all of them are going to make it. These guys are pretty defenseless against anything that wants to eat them.
Right. Smartypants, can you guess which of these creatures like to eat baby frogs?
Is it birds? Fish, snakes, or lizards? Aha!
Now who's the one being a wise guy? The answer is all of them.
Sames were just delicious. Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
Yeah, frog's legs kind of taste like chicken.
Excuse me? I mean, I've been told I would never.
Uh-huh. Fortunately, some of us frogs have defense mechanisms we can use to protect ourselves.
A lot of it depends on the species and where we live.
You mean like your cousin the strawberry dart frog?
Exactly. But... we're still pretty vulnerable to lots of creatures in the water, on land, and flying above.
Not to mention humans. Or trying to cross a six-lane freeway.
Ooh, I used to love playing Frogger. That's an early video game for any smarties who are wondering.
One of the best ways for frogs to avoid getting eaten is to hide out under the water.
Luckily, I can stay down at the bottom for an hour or two until the predator moves on.
An hour or two? How can a frog hold its breath so long?
Smarty Pants, do you know? Simple, frogs have special skin.
It not only serves the purpose of covering our body, It also allows us to inhale oxygen underwater through it.
But don't you have lungs? How else could you live on land?
We have lungs too that we use on land. But most of the oxygen we need, we absorb through our skin.
However, we do need to keep our skin moist or else it slides out.
Also, we can drown in water that doesn't have enough oxygen in it.
I see. Is your skin moist now? Yes, I'm good.
Thanks for caring, trusty. Of course. Besides keeping our skin moist, we also shed our outer skin pretty regularly.
Like a snake? Yep. Want to know what we do with our skin after it comes off?
Uh, sure. What do you think, smarty pants?
What do frogs do with their skin after they've shed it off their bodies?
It's going to be gross, isn't it? No, no, no.
Not at all. Okay, good. We eat it. Thought you said it wasn't gonna be gross.
That's not gross. It's good protein and an easy snack.
Humans chew their nails and eat their boogers, don't they?
Oh, God, no. People don't eat their fingernails, and only very young children snack on their boogers.
If you say so. Anyway, on that note, I think I'm gonna hop off this lily pad and head home.
There's some frogs that need my help across the highway.
A ribbiting shout out to Maxwell in Los Angeles, California.
You said Whosmarted teaches you interesting facts you never knew.
We also hear you love the quizzes, the movie voice guy, and of course, Chet Nickerson.
Thanks for being an all-star Smarty fan, Maxwell.
This episode, Frogs, was written by Dave Poison Dart Davis and voiced by Justin Bullfrog-Dodd and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Tree Frog Han.
Who Smarted? is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kamen Toad Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Spring Peeper Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Crokes Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
Too smart and...
