Frogs live in almost every environment on Earth and breed in a wide variety of areas. Though the annual event usually takes place in still or slow-moving bodies of freshwater, numerous species have adapted to reproduce in alternative locations.

Typically, male frogs desiring to breed use mating calls to attract females, who are able to differentiate their own species based on the sound and location of the call. When a potential mate arrives, the male clasps her from behind in a copulatory embrace known as an amplexus. Sperm is ejected onto the eggs as they are released by the female. The eggs, which vary in number depending on species, then float or sink in the tranquil water until they eventually hatch into tadpoles.

Certain adaptations have enabled some frog species to carry out reproduction in a slightly different manner. For instance, some frogs breed in rapidly flowing waters because their enlarged testes produce extra amounts of sperm that help ensure fertilization. Others, such as several South American species, build basin-like nests in the mud for breeding. Perhaps the most unusual reproductive deviation, however, is the habit of some Oriental frog species of depositing fertilized eggs on land, where they hatch into froglets, instead of tadpoles.

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