Frogs of the Times

Good New on the Fungus Front

According to the article:  "After a six-year effort, researchers on the Spanish island of Majorca have rid several groups of Maorcan midwife toads of the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis--better known as chytrid fungus, or B.d.  It's the first time the disease, which is devastating amphibians worldwide, has been eradicated in a wild population."

Photo credit:  New York Times

Frogs of the TImes

Frogs with a Venomous Head Butt

According to the article:  "A single gram of toxic secretion from A. brunoi is enough to kill 300,000 mice or about 80 people. . . . It's unlikely a small frog can deliver a gram of venom in a single jab, but the researchers are planning to err on the side of caution."

Photo credit:  New York Times

Frogs of the Times

Finding a Toad with a New York Accent

"Finding a toad in New York City used to be easier. Fowler’s toad (Bufo fowleri) ranges through much of southeast New York State and has been the five boroughs’ familiar toad for centuries — at least it was through my Canarsie childhood. Both Fowler’s and American toads may still be city residents, but it is getting harder and harder to find either."

Photo credit:  New York Times

NYC Frog Project on the Road

Live Frogs:  Maine Edition

While traveling through Acadia National Park on a rainy August day, we came across a pond with dozens of these guys hanging out on lily pads:

A couple of days later, in Baxter State Park, we found this guy in the woods around Daicey Pond, where we followed the Appalachian Trail for about a mile:

Frogs of the TImes

A Frog of Special Skill

The article tells us that:  :Though they are widespread in New York City's five boroughs, gray tree frogs are rarely noticed by park visitors or wetland hikers." Its trick to surviving a New York City winter?  The frog is able to shut down its body so that its "heart stops beating completely, its lungs stop working, and its brain activity is almost unmeasurable."   I kind of wish I could do that in the summer, when it's 95 degrees and the whole city smells vaguely of rotting garbage.

Photo from the New York Times

Frogs of the Times

New Frog Species Discovered on Staten Island

I've decided to add a new feature to the blog called "Frogs of the Times"--the New York Times, that is.  From time to time the paper of record decides to report on things herpetological.

This article was published almost exactly a year ago and recounts the discovery of a new species of frog on Staten Island.  Yes, Staten Island.  As the reporter explains, most species are discovered in remote and unpopulated areas, but not this time.  The new frog had probably been seen and heard by thousands of people who didn't realize what they were looking at.  The croak, as the article explains, gave it away.

Picture from the New York Times