What do Amphibians and Reptiles eat?
FOOD FOR AMPHIBIANS
What Do They Eat?
Adult amphibians eat small animals. Most eat insects and other small animals without backbones, such as worms, slugs and spiders. Some large amphibians can eat small animals with backbones. A big Northern Leopard Frog can eat other small frogs, baby snakes and even baby birds!
A Leopard Frog lunges for, then eats a worm.
Tadpoles of frogs, toads and treefrogs eat tiny water plants, bits of larger dead plants and even dead animals. Larvae of salamanders eat small aquatic animals.
How Do They Eat?
Amphibians have good eyesight. They will try to catch any small animal that is moving. They don't notice things that are not moving. Frogs, toads and treefrogs sit still and wait for prey to come close, then they pounce and grab it with their mouths or short tongues. Toads will flick out their tongues to grab small prey like ants or lunge after larger prey like worms. Some amphibians can flick their tongues out a long way (not as far as you see in cartoons!), but most have short tongues. A salamander hunts by crawling close to a small animal and grabbing it with its strong jaws.
Adult amphibians don't chew their food. They swallow small animals whole. Tadpoles have sharp jaws that can scrape up tiny plants or cut up pieces of large plants or animals. Salamander larvae have large jaws and swallow small animals whole.
FOOD FOR REPTILES
What Do They Eat?
Most reptiles are predators, but some eat plants, too. Snakes eat lots of different small animals including frogs, toads, fish, worms, lizards and even small mice or birds. Lizards mainly eat insects. Turtles eat all kinds of aquatic animals and some plants. Young reptiles usually eat the same things as the adults, just smaller things.
A Red-sided Garter Snake eating a Wood Frog.
How Do They Eat?
Reptiles have good eyesight and good senses of smell and taste. Snakes hunt by using smell and taste to locate prey then use their sight when they get close. They grab it with their jaws then work the jaws around the prey to swallow it whole.
Lizards find food by looking under plants and objects. They grab insects with their jaws and swallow it whole.
Turtles use sight and smell or taste to find food in the water. They will see and chase small fish or insects and grab them with their jaws. The smell of dead animals or some kinds of plants in the water will attract turtles. They use their jaws and the claws on their feet to tear up food and swallow smaller bits.
You will learn more about the food of our amphibians and reptiles when you read about each kind.
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Or back to: About Amphibians and Reptiles or the Front Page
