Love them or loathe them, frogs have a place in popular culture, from 鈥楰ermit鈥� to 鈥楾oad of Toad Hall鈥�. The short, tailless body, large head, and long legs give a profile that is vaguely humanoid, but frogs are optimised for leaping rather than walking, a locomotor strategy that has been highly successful. Amongst amphibians, their body plan is unique, prompting questions as to its origin and evolutionary history. Some of the answers may be found in the fossil record of frogs, dating back 250 million years to the very beginning of the 鈥楢ge of Dinosaurs鈥�.
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