Colourful Creatures
The Frog

The metamorphosis from the tadpole to the frog is one of nature’s most fascinating and familiar transformations. Typically lasting only 24 hours, and initiated by the production of the hormone thyroxine, this transformation is one that most of us have witnessed and one of the reasons that we are particularly fond of frogs. Showing the agile amphibian in its full glory, the vivid green ninth coin in the Austrian Mint’s glow-in-the-dark Colourful Creatures series is a must for all frog lovers.

Accounting for over 85 per cent of all amphibians in existence, there are some 4,800 species of frog. However, more than one third of those species are considered to be threatened with extinction and over 120 are believed to have become extinct since the 1980s. Frogs are not only valued as food in some countries but also feature in folklore, fairy tales and in popular culture. The metamorphosis of the frog is echoed in the way that the frog is transformed into a prince in the Frog Prince, by the Brothers Grimm, as well as in other tales. In contemporary culture, frogs are generally portrayed as being ugly and awkward yet good natured and highly capable, Kermit the Frog of The Muppet Show being the prime example.

Like all the other 3 euro Colourful Creatures coins in the series, The Frog features all 12 animals in the series in silhouette on its obverse.