04/1/15

Blotched Tiger Salamanders in Oregon

This report comes from Frances in Southern Oregon.

Tiger Salamander in Southern Oregon

My two year old pond seems to have attracted these salamanders. I am in Southern Oregon, near Klamath Falls, and on the California border. I have been told they are Tiger Salamanders, but they do not have any bright coloring.

They are mottled and striped, and the largest one I have seen in my leaf trap was about 14″ long. The pond is about two and a half feet deep, so I can’t see how many there are, and if there are any of my goldfish left. Some of the fish were about 6 – 8 inches long when I last spotted them in late summer.

The salamander in the photo was on my driveway in early February of this year. I am pretty sure they are eating all the frogs we had. I am not hearing any croaking, and the two that frequented the rim of my hot tub are not around now. I am not sure if there is anything that can be done to balance things a bit, or if some of them are becoming permanent pond dwellers and not losing their gills, as I understand happens sometimes. Do you have any suggestions or ideas? Thank you. If these are some kind of hybrid, I don’t know how good they are for the environment.

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I sent this query along to a few experts and here are their responses:

Matt Ellerbeck – The Salamander Man says:

Your email/inquiry about salamanders was forwarded to me from Susan Newman at Frogs Are Green.

The salamander in the photo you sent is indeed a Tiger Salamander. They are variable in color, so if you Google searched them, it is possible that you came across images that didn’t resemble this individual salamander. Tiger Salamanders are native to Oregon so pose no environmental threat. On the contrary, salamanders are indicators of a healthy environment!

You also mentioned some concern for your frogs. Tiger Salamanders may occasionally take frogs, however, they primarily feed on insects and invertebrates. In fact, Tiger Salamander tadpoles (or larvae) prey on mosquito larvae and therefore help keep the number of these pests down! As such, I wouldn’t consider them a real threat to the frogs.

Due to the benefits they provide I hope you will accept the presence of these salamanders. If you want to learn about things you can to do help them (as they are both amphibians such efforts will also benefit frogs too) please visit the following: Save The Salamanders – How You Can Help

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I asked Matt why the frogs may have disappeared?

He replied:

Frances mentioned she didn’t hear the frogs croaking – perhaps the frogs are indeed still around but merely not singing at this time. I believe most frogs sing seasonally, or only at certain times. I have a backyard pond with frogs, and sometimes I may not see them for days on end, and suddenly they will reappear.

I have also read that cats will kill frogs, so they, or other predators (birds, snakes), may have taken them.

These are all plausible causes, however, I can’t say for certain. The reality is, any backyard pond (whether natural or human-man) that has animals in it will also attract various predators.

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Keith Gisser, Herpetologist and founder of Herps Alive! says:

Blotched Tiger Salamander. Pretty dull-colored animal normally compared to other (sub)species.

While pretty voracious eaters, rare (in my experience) for them to eat frogs or fish (although they will eat fish when in larval form) – they prefer invertebrates.

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Sara Viernum, Founder of The Wandering Herpetologist says:

Agreed! It’s a Blotched Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortuim melanostictum). There is a small, known population (native) in southern Oregon near the border. Like all tiger salamander species these will eat anything that fits in their mouths including invertebrates, lizards, mice, snakes, frogs, tadpoles, small fish, and other salamanders. Since they are a native predator in your area they may initially cause a decrease in the local frog population but once they become established in your pond their numbers will most likely balance out with the frogs.

This site has some good info about the western tiger salamander group. California Herps – Salamanders

01/6/15

Winners of the 2014 Frogs in the Wild Photography Contest

Announcing the winners of the 2014 Frogs in the Wild Photography Contest hosted by Frogs Are Green!

I want to thank this year’s judges: Sigrid Shreeve, Christine Guhl, Megan Maloy, Sam Skolnik Mullane, Alyssa Bredin, Keith Gisser, and Andy Levine.

1st Place Winner: 2014 Frogs in the Wild by Wes Deyton of North Carolina.

2014 Frogs in the Wild 1st place winner, Wes Deyton of North Carolina.

2nd Place Winner: 2014 Frogs in the Wild, Beni Arisandi with “KONG,” Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia.

2014 Frogs in the Wild, 2nd place winner, Beni Arisandi with KONG.

3rd Place Winner: 2014 Frogs in the Wild Golden Droplet Frog by Christian Spencer. Taken in Itatiaia National Park rio de Janerio Brasil. Brachycephalus ephippium, one of the smallest frogs in the world measuring 12mm makes signals with its arms to mark territory.

2014 Frogs in the Wild, 3rd place winner, Golden Droplet Frog by Christian Spencer.

Honorable Mention: 2014 Frogs in the Wild, Frog by Matthew Pastick, Minnesota, USA.

2014 Frogs in the Wild, Honorable Mention, Frog by Matthew Pastick, Minnesota, USA.

Honorable Mention: 2014 Frogs in the Wild, Devin DePamphilis, age 13 with Seeing Green at Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, PA.

2014 Frogs in the Wild, Honorable Mention, Devin DePamphilis, age 13 with Seeing Green at Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, PA.

Honorable Mention: 2014 Frogs in the Wild, green and golden bell frog by Chad Beranek, Australia.

2014 Frogs in the Wild, Honorable Mention, green and golden bell frog by Chad Beranek, Australia.

To see the 56 fabulous entries visit:  2014 Frogs in the Wild Photo Contest on Flickr.

– Susan Newman, founder and administrator of Frogs Are Green

01/6/15

Winners of the 2014 Backyard Frogs Photography Contest

Announcing the winners of the 2014 Backyard Frogs Photography Contest hosted by Frogs Are Green!

I want to thank this year’s judges: Sigrid Shreeve, Christine Guhl, Megan Maloy, Sam Skolnik Mullane, Alyssa Bredin, Keith Gisser, and Andy Levine.

1st Place Winner: 2014 Backyard Frogs, Costa Rican Frog photographed by Chela Crinnion of New York.

2014 Backyard Frogs, 1st place Winner, Costa Rican Frog photographed by Chela Crinnion of New York

2nd Place Winner: 2014 Backyard Frogs, Northern Cricket Frog, Mike Adamovic, New York.

2014 Backyard Frogs, 2nd place winner by Mike Adamovic, Northern Cricket Frog, New York.

3rd Place Winner: 2014 Backyard Frogs, Common Indian Tree Frog by Choti Singh.

2014 Backyard Frogs, 3rd place winner, common indian treefrog by Choti Singh.

Honorable Mention: 2014 Backyard Frogs, Pickerel Frog by Wes Deyton, North Carolina.

2014 Backyard Frogs, Honorable Mention, Pickerel Frog by Wes Deyton, North Carolina.

Honorable Mention: 2014 Backyard Frogs by Zakiyah Hasanah, age 10, from Indonesia with Frog in a Pipe.

2014 Backyard Frogs, Honorable Mention by Zakiyah Hasanah, age 10 from Indonesia with Frog in a Pipe.

To see the entire gallery of 34 images submitted visit: 2014 Backyard Frogs Photo Contest on Flickr.

– Founder and Frogs Are Green administrator, Susan Newman.

08/5/14

Baby Iguanas As Prizes?

We’ve all been to our local county fair, rode on the ferris wheel, sprayed the water in the clown’s mouth, maybe even won a big stuffed frog. But what’s happening in Ohio (and perhaps other places) is the wrong way to get young people interested in caring for wildlife. Naturally, as people walk by a booth and see what seems like an easy game to win and the prize is a real, live, baby iguana, they are so tempted. Yes, they’ll win a baby iguana! This is so very wrong and has to be banned, now!

Here’s the story by Keith Gisser, founder of Herps Alive!

The Ohio State Fair in Columbus featured a booth that offered live iguanas as prizes.

The Ohio State Fair in Columbus featured a booth that offered live iguanas as prizes.

It started as one of those non-funny jokes. A friend posted this photo on Facebook last Tuesday and tagged me, asking, “How soon until you start getting calls on these, Keith ?”  The answer turned out to be Sunday. That didn’t take long at all, did it.

An Ohio State Fair booth was offering baby iguanas as prizes. The needed skill? Not knowing how to care for a live animal. Let alone a tough-to-care-for properly green iguana (Iguana iguana). But knowing how to toss a Ping Pong ball into a fishbowl.

These days most places don’t even give away love goldfish. They give a coupon for the goldfish. That makes sense. Win. Think about if you really want the animal. Go to pet store. Buy proper equipment. Then flush him two weeks later (the expected life span of a goldfish is two weeks. I am quite sure of this).

But not so with iguanas. A young man won his and brought it back to Cleveland (a two-hour plus drive plus who knows how long carrying him around in a box while enjoying healthy far food like chocolate dipped bacon.  And a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl. He was there with friends and mom and dad were a bit surprised. But they did the right thing. They went to the pet store, started reading the care sheet and realized this was way beyond what they were prepared for. They called around and eventually the Cleveland Zoo referred them to the Herps Alive Foundation. I was doing an outreach event at  a Petco store and arranged to pick him up.

Baby Iguana rescued by Herps Alive

The iguana in question.

Fortunately this little hatchling is pretty healthy and eating. With full spectrum light and heat he should live a long and happy life. We hope to find a permanent home for him soon.

You might be surprised that after my bad experience with reptile laws in Ohio, that I really think we need a law banning these guys (and all live animals) as prizes. Many states and localities ban this practice, but not our state. Time for a change. Or a change.org perhaps. Give ‘em a coupon. Or a stuffed iguana.

 

Keith GisserKeith Gisser runs the Ohio based, award-winning, nationally recognized interactive reptile and amphibian program Herps Alive! He has been a herpetology educator for over thirty years and currently maintains about 100 reptiles, amphibians and crocodilians, nearly all adoptions or rescues, about half of which are used in his programs.

07/14/13

Herps Alive! A Reptile Rescue Herpetologist Writes About Frogs

Guest Post by Keith Gisser

I know what you are thinking.

Why is a reptile rescue guy writing about frogs? They aren’t reptiles. And captive frogs don’t need to be rescued. Gators, boas, pythons, maybe even big monitor lizards and iguanas, sure. But frogs?

Herps Alive! The Interactive Reptile and Amphibian Experience, is a traveling educational herpetology program and display. We have presented in 36 states (primarily at college campuses, but also at libraries, festivals elementary and high schools). Now in my fifties, I did my first paid program at age 17,  and now my daughter a degreed Interpretative Naturalist, and my son, a marketing whiz, often travel and help me. We offer display programs and interactive lectures as well as classroom sessions, and have presented an estimated 3,000 programs since we started (we have worked some “real” jobs here and there).

As your reputation builds, you start getting calls to adopt animals. Usually they are pets that people can’t keep. Sometimes they are police seizures or animals from other unfortunate situations.  We have always accepted these animals in an effort to keep a good relationship with the museums, nature centers and law enforcement officials who contact us.

But in the last year or so, the rescue mission has taken on a life of its own.  We have been asked to take in dozens of animals. And for the first time, we began rehoming a few. As a result we are spinning off our rescue mission and working on moving it to a separate location, as we turn it into a charitable foundation.

But what about the frogs?

I have been fascinated with frogs my entire life. My career as a herpetologist probably began at age nine when I caught a toad. I brought him home in a rinsed out pickle jar. (That was 45 years ago when such behavior was acceptable. At the time they were also in the genus Bufo, not Anaxyrus) I have bred several species of frog in captivity and always include a discussion of metamorphosis in my educational programs.

Southern Toad

Right now we have three frogs among our 150 animals.  Our Southern Toad (Anaxyrusterrestris) was living in a Carolina classroom after a student had brought him. He had been in captivity for too long to be released, so when we came in to do a program, the teacher asked if we could take him. Known just as The Toad, he eats crickets and small worms, as well as waxworms.

Beatrice is an African Clawed Frog (Xenopuslaevis) who was raised from a small size by my son’s ex-girlfriend. When she moved into a new home, she asked us to take her on. Beatrice was raised in a 10 gallon aquarium. When we tried to move her to a larger one, she went off feed and seemed generally unhappy. So back into the ten she went even though it really is too small for her. She loves her goldfish and nightcrawlers and eats anywhere from 10-30 a week. Unfortunately, her relatives have been taking a bad rap lately as they have been identified as the culprits that carried of the dreaded chytrid fungus.  It’s not really their fault. In everywhere except their African home, they were used as lab animals. They were used as part of a pregnancy test. The problem is not with them carrying the fungus, but rather with the irresponsible people who have released them outside their normal environment.

African Clawed Frog

Finally, there is Poncherello Pegone Pixiefrog, our African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalusadsperus). “Ponch” is named for the  mayor on the cartoon My Gym Partner’s a Monkey., who is also a Pixie, or African Bullfrog. We adopted him from a breeder because he appears to be blind in one eye and the breeder did not want him. Ponch eats thawed mice off tongs, usually one or two a week. He is also a regular in our programs, having traveled to 14 states since we got him two years ago. While our other frogs are kept in our entrance hallway (Our facility is not air conditioned), Ponch loves the heat and his aquarium is kept in our snake and lizard room, where the high ambient temperature helps him with digestion.

We hope to see you some time in the future…

About Keith Gisser:

Keith caught a toad (Anaxyrus ssp) when he was nine and his herpetology career began. He has presented Herps Alive! an award-winning, nationally recognized interactive reptile and amphibian program based in Ohio, at over 170 college campuses and hundreds of other venues in 39 states.

Gisser, who has been a herpetology educator for over thirty years and currently maintains about 140 reptiles, amphibians and crocodilians, nearly all of which are adoptions or rescues, about half of which are used in his programs. The rescue and adoption mission has taken more and more of his time and efforts in recent years and will soon be “spun off” as the Herps Alive! Foundation, which is in the process of seeking non-profit status and accreditation as a rescue.