[2] Common frogs metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages — aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile, and adult.

They have corpulent bodies with a rounded snout, webbed feet and long hind legs adapted for swimming in water and hopping on land.

[3][2] During the mating season males' throats often turn white, and their overall colour is generally light and greyish, whereas the female is browner, or even red.

[4] These smooth-skinned frogs can grow to an average weight of 22.7 grams and length of seven to ten centimeters (2.8-3.9 in) with colors varying from gray to green, brown, yellow, or red and may be covered in blotches.

[2] Outside the breeding season, common frogs live a solitary life in damp wetland niches near ponds or marshes or among long riparian grass.

[4] In the most northern extremities of their range they may be trapped under ice for up to nine months of the year, but recent studies have shown that in these conditions they may be relatively active at temperatures close to freezing.

Common frogs hibernate in running waters, muddy burrows, or in layers of decaying leaves and mud at the bottom of ponds or lakes primarily with a current.

[12] The colder climates create a strong selective pressure favoring common frog populations able to behaviorally thermoregulate at a high degree.

[13] Of the many diseases affecting common frogs, one of the most deadly has been the Ranavirus, which has been responsible for causing declines in amphibian populations worldwide.

[14] Deaths caused by Ranavirus occur in all stages of common frog development and are concentrated mostly during the summer months.

[15] Due to the widespread nature of Rana temporaria, common frogs can make their homes in both urban and rural environments.

The construction of roads and buildings – absolute barriers to migration – has stymied gene flow and drift between urban populations of common frogs, leading to lower levels of genetic diversity in urban common frog populations compared to their rural counterparts.

[16] Urban common frog populations also experience higher levels of mortality and developmental abnormality, indicative of forced inbreeding.

In the summer, the common frog's diet mostly consists of adult crane flies and the larvae of butterflies and moths.

To a slightly lesser extent, common frogs will feed on woodlice, arachnids, beetles, slugs, snails, and earthworms.

Common frogs will hide in damp places, such as in the water, during the day, and at night, they will begin searching for food.

[4] Like its close cousin, the moor frog (R. arvalis), R. Temporaria does not exhibit territoriality which leads to lack of physical fighting among males.

[28] One of the common frog's most pervasive predators is the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), which is a very invasive species of turtle.

As an ectotherm, the common frog is very reliant on temperature as it directly influences their metabolism, development, reproduction, muscle ability, and respiration.

As such, common frogs at mid and high elevations have developed a unique set of strategies to survive in cold climates.

[13] As a result, common frogs must rely on behavioral thermoregulation by seeking out warm microhabitats (such as in the soil or between rocks) during wintertime.

Adult frogs have many predators including storks, birds of prey, crows, gulls, ducks, terns, herons, pine martens, stoats, weasels, polecats, badgers, otters and snakes.

[33] Miles et al. 2004 provide improved ingredients for manufacturers of pellet food for farmed common frogs.

[33] Due to the spread of diseases such as ranavirus, the UK based amphibian charity Froglife advised the public to avoid transporting frogspawn, tadpoles or frogs from one pond to another, even if these are close by.