The Common Frog, Rana temporaria also known as the European Common Frog or European Common Brown Frog is found throughout much of Europe as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far east as the Urals, except for most of Iberia, southern Italy, and the southern Balkans. There is debate regarding its status as a native of Ireland. One theory suggests it may have reached Ireland via a land bridge prior to the end of the last ice age. Another school of thought suggests it was deliberately introduced to Ireland. The Common Frog can be distinguished from the Common toad by the skin which is smoother and is moist, the rear legs are longer and the feet more prominently webbed. Frogs move by hopping whereas toads more often crawl. The adult common frog eats insects and small invertebrates such as earthworms and slugs which they catch with a long sticky tongue. Common frogs are active almost all of the year, only hibernating when it gets very cold and the water and earth are consistently frozen. In the British Isles, common frogs typically hibernate from late October to January.*********************They will re-emerge as early as February if conditions are favourable, and migrate to bodies of water such as garden ponds.Where conditions are harsher, such as in the Alps, they emerge as late as early June Common frogs hibernate in running waters, muddy burrows and can hibernate in layers of decaying leaves and mud at the bottom of ponds. The fact that they can breathe through their skins allows them to stay underwater for much longer periods of time when they are hibernating.***************Common frogs breed in shallow, still, fresh water such as ponds, with breeding commencing in March. The adults congregate in the ponds, where the males compete for females.The courtship ritual involves croaking, and a successful male grasps the female under the forelegs. During the mating season the males can be recognised by a darkened swelling, the nuptial pad on their 'thumbs'. The females, which are generally larger than the males, lay up to 4000 eggs which float in large clusters.