Common traits include white or yellow pigmentation on its underside and black stripes from its nostrils along the sides of its head.

[1] The moor frog was first reported by Nilsson in volume 3 of Skandinavisk fauna with a moderate muzzle and prominent first cuneiform bone.

[6] The moor frog can be found over a vast majority of mainland, central Eurasia; its longitudinal range extends from northeastern France and northern Belgium all the way east to the Lena River in Siberia, in and around the city of Novosibirsk.

Their latitudinal distribution extends from the 69th parallel in Finland south through the Pannonian Basin and the inland Balkans in Central Europe.

Further east in its range, such as in the Altai Mountains, the moor frog is found as high-up as 2 kilometres, or around 2000m (over 6,000’) above sea level.

[7] Within the higher-elevation ranges, the species is often found near bodies of still (or very slow-moving) water, with adequate riparian or littoral vegetation surrounding it.

[1] Moor frogs provide a good model for studying local adaptation as they experience a wide range of environments and are relatively limited in their movements.

[9][10] Their restriction in movements implies limited gene flow and facilitates evolution through adaptive genetic differentiation among populations.

[11] The species has been successfully bred in captivity in the UK and a reintroduction has been proposed as part of Celtic Reptile & Amphibian's rewilding plans.

[12][13][14] The earliest fossil record of the moor frog extends back to between the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene found in Dvorníky-Včeláre, Slovakia.

[7] Fossil records from the middle Pleistocene demonstrate the range extended as far south as south-central France and as far west as the eastern coast of Great Britain.

[15] Most populations of moor frog in Romania are isolated and not contiguous due to the edge effects of human developments.

Moor frogs also consume non-insect invertebrates from the orders gastropoda (snails and slugs), arachnida, and myriapoda (centipedes and millipedes).

[19] Male moor frogs turn a conspicuous blue during the mating season, but only for a few days during peak reproductive activity.

[21] It is hypothesized that males with brighter blue coloration may signal greater sexual and genetic fitness;[21] however, studies have only revealed tadpoles fathered by bright blue individuals had greater chances of survival when pitted against large beetle larvae than when fathered by dull individuals.

Increased acidity levels in breeding areas may be problematic for moor frog populations, as it reduces survival and growth of the aquatic embryos and larvae.

[34] High habitat acidity often imposes great costs to survival, which may lead to the culling of Moor frogs.

Acidification is strong enough to cause rapid adaptation due to the high selection pressure it places on the Moor frog.

When temperatures reach below the SCP a moor frog's skin darkens, muscles become rigid, eyes dull, and solid ice can be readily felt through touch.

As expected, the production of these cryoprotectants and continued metabolism (even though it is slowed) consumes a great quantity of glycogen that is not replenished as the frog is not feeding during the winter.

Frozen moor frogs also have greater concentrations of antioxidants; which are presumably made in anticipation of the oxidative stress when aerobic respiration resumes after thawing.

However, the moor frog may soon be impacted by the destruction and pollution of breeding sites and adjacent habitats, mostly through urbanization, recreational use of waterside areas, and intensive agriculture.

[2] There is a general lack of research on the conservation status of the moor frog in many EU member states and in-range countries.

However, a European Habitats Directive performed in 2013 revealed that 19 of the 28 member states of the time reported that the conservation status of the moor frog was unfavorable.

[2] This lack of genetic diversity threatens the current stability of populations and long-term survival because of the increased risk of inbreeding.

Mild inbreeding greatly reduces the moor frog fitness due to the small number of individuals in these isolated populations.

[2] Acidification, eutrophication, and other forms of water pollution negatively affect the aquatic habitats of moor frogs.

[44] One study showed in highly acidic waters, pH 4.2, eggs of the moor frog were especially susceptible to fungal infection.

[44] While this method may allow for moor frog reproduction to occur in the short-term, the effect is only temporary and acidification will ultimately reoccur.

[43] Protection and addition of riparian zones by preventing grazing and replanting littoral vegetation aids the rewetting process of drained land.