Category Archives: Learn about Frogs

06/21/09

What the Frogs Are Telling Us

In 1995, a teacher and her students in southern Minnesota discovered a pond full of frogs with deformities: some frogs with extra legs or eyes missing, others with extra eyes or missing limbs.

A Plague of Frogs by William Souder tells the story of what happened next as these deformed frogs were later found all over Minnesota, and in other parts of the US. The book is both an ecological detective story and a tale of scientific investigation. Were the deformities a natural occurrence or were they caused by toxins in the environment?

Ultimately Souder concludes that ecosystems are so complex and the organisms in them so interconnected that it is difficult for scientists to tease out the exact causes of these malformations. It’s likely, however, that the frogs were physically manifesting the unhealthiness of our environment.

As Souder writes:

So frogs are telling us a lot—so much, perhaps, that we cannot fully understand the message. Frogs are succumbing to parasites, to pesticides, to increases in ultraviolet radiation, to global warming. The earth is changing and the frogs are responding.

plague-of-frogs

This book was written in 2000, before the chrytid fungus that is causing massive die-offs of amphibians became so widespread. I do think it’s worth a read, however, if only to remind us that we have to be careful what chemical and toxins we release into the environment because ultimately we don’t really know what the effects will be on wildlife—and on us. We need to listen to what the frogs are telling us.

06/21/09

The Coqui, Pride of Puerto Rico

June is traditionally the month of the Puerto Rican Day parade in New York City, and in other cities around the country, so it’s a good time to celebrate the unofficial symbol of Puerto Rico—the common coqui, a frog species endemic to Puerto Rico. If you click on the video below, you will hear the sound of this frog that makes a ko-kee noise. Imagine a chorus of these frogs.

A friend from Puerto Rico says he remembers being lulled to sleep by the calls of the coqui. After the birds quiet at dusk, the frogs start their night music and sing all night long. A recent exhibit at the Bronx Zoo about the coqui brought a record number of visitors, who no doubt also had memories of being serenaded to sleep by this tiny (one-inch long) tree frog. Only male coquis sing—both to fend off other males and establish their territory and to find a mate. Here’s more info about this beloved island amphibian, whose numbers are declining due to deforestation, among other reasons.

06/19/09

Amazing Frog Dads

Most animal dads aren’t too involved with their offspring (human dads, excepted of course). But two species of frogs called microhylids are devoted dads, and in fact, carry their their brood of up to 25 froglets piggyback style through the rain forest of Papua New Guinea. The frogs were discovered by evolutionary biologist David Bickford.

While most frogs start their lives as tadpoles, these frogs bypass that stage and go straight from larvae to miniature versions of adults while still inside the egg. This allows them to reproduce in areas without bodies of water nearby.

After the mother frog lays the eggs, she hops off while Dad watches over the clutch, warding off predators, and keeping the eggs moist for about a month.

copyright David Bickford

copyright David Bickford

After the froglets hatch from the eggs, they hop on Dad’s back. He carries them by night through the leaf litter in the rain forest. The froglets have a free ride until they grow up a bit and can live independently (hmmm…sounds familiar).