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An Introduction. Why Frogs?

Welcome to the “Frog Blog”!

Welcome to my blog! You may be wondering, “frogs? Why frogs?” Well, this blog isn’t going to be 100% about frog, rather amphibians as a group. Again, you may be asking “why?”

Well, this first post is to tell you why! As a biology student, I find it important to keep up with ecology, which animals are flourishing, and more importantly, which ones are not. At this point in time, amphibians are in a critical state, many are facing population loss at fast rates. Not many people know about this serious issue, as media generally focuses on endangered mammals. Why is it important to be aware of the state of amphibians?

(He’s screaming because he’s scared about class amphibia’s state)

The main reason for this blog’s creation is to bring awareness to these animals in a fun way. My goal is to get people interested in amphibians, and in turn raise more attention to why we should be more concerned about their falling populations. More often than not, the media shines the spotlight on mammals like pandas, giraffes, tigers, etc. While I do believe it’s important to be aware of their state, these animals tend to outshine those with scales, slime, and/or gills.

Amphibians play an extremely important role in our understanding of an ecosystem’s health. This is just one reason why more attention should pay more attention to these creatures, they’re bioindicators that can show us how a habitat is in danger before it collapses as a whole. Their ability to absorb things through their skin makes them susceptible to minor changes in their surroundings from disease, to pH changes; and their reactions reveal to us that there is something happening that we should be paying close attention to.

That’s right, this little guy can tell us a whole lot about his surroundings.
(Pexels)

To conclude my first post, the purpose of this blog is to raise awareness of amphibian populations by using humor, and interesting posts about these animals. Thank you for hopping in, stay around for more! Welcome to the frog blog!

The Final Frog Post.

As the eighth, and final post on this blog, I don’t want to leave on a dead-end, and leave readers completely frog-less. The purpose of this blog as a whole was to gather interest in amphibians, get people excited about these slimy little creatures, and bring awareness to what’s known as the amphibian-crisis. That being said, I want to use this last post to introduce you to some other frog accounts around the internet.

That hungry little frog above belongs to the sticky frogs family. They have several social media platforms, including twitter, facebook, instagram, and tumblr. This is my all-time favorite frog account in existence, they post several times a day, and they have the cutest frogs I’ve seen. Evidence below.

Stickyfrogs has a group of dumpy tree frogs (Australian Green Tree Frogs) by the names of: Tiny, Gumby, Voigt, and Jens. Their content has honestly helped me get through college, and if you ever need some wholesome frog images or videos to brighten your day, I can guarantee the stickyfrog family will provide that.

Another frog account that keeps me going is a twitter-based page called @weratefrogs. As their name suggests, they rate frogs of all sorts, there’s a huge variety of frogs and toads posted here, submitted by other users. The page also posts frog memes, wholesome reminders to take your medications (including the page owner’s frog), and more. Linked below is one of said frog memes that honestly made my day.

https://twitter.com/weratefrogs?lang=en

One third and final frog-source that I really enjoy and recommend to anyone who has a facebook, is the group called “Frogspotting”. Group members post pictures of frogs, frog-related items, and other amphibians they see, as well as share posts from other pages of cute frogs. In fact, that group was the reason I decided to make this blog about frogs, as they were originally what really piqued my interest in them. This group also introduced me to stickyfrogs, and for that I am forever thankful.

Though this is a short post, I just wanted to leave this blog off on a good note with resources for more wholesome, frog-posting.

Not all amphibians are in jeopardy…

Meet the cane toad.

Cane toads (Rhinella marina) are native to Central America. Most people associate these toads with Australia. While that’s where a majority of their population is found, it is not where they belong. How did these animals become such a huge problem in a country so far away from their home? It all started in 1935…

Cane toads were first brought to Australian soil in 1935. They were introduced as a form of pest control. These creatures are tough animals that can withstand a lot of harsh environments. They also have massive appetites, which (seemed) to make them the perfect candidate for keeping control of the beetles destroying Australia’s sugar cane crops. However, this plan did not go as expected. Instead of eating the beetles that were wreaking havoc on cane crops, the toads would feast on anything but the beetles.

In Australia, cane toads are able to rapidly reproduce and continue moving into more areas. This is possible due to the lack of natural predators able to hunt these toads, combined with there being no diseases to control their population. Unlike many invasive species, these animals cause more than just ecological probems. They pose dangers to the human population too.

These animals secrete a toxin through their skin when threatened, that can pose a threat humans, pets, and native fauna. This toxin mainly impacts the heart, and can lead to cardiac arrest/death. Luckily, no humans in Australia have died as a result of the toxins from this toad. There have, however, been many cases of dogs dying from cardiac arrest after trying to pick up/eat frogs. Cane toads have also killed many native Australian fauna that made attempts to prey on them. If toads are mishandled by humans, the toxins will cause pain, temporary blindness, and inflammation.

In more recent news, these toads have began casing trouble in Florida, similarly to how they have in Australia (but not as bad quite yet.)

Another reason why these toads are able to populate areas so quickly has to do with the fact that one female cane toad can lay anywhere from 35,000 to 50,000 eggs in one clutch. This is the reason they’ve become such a big issue in Florida recently, as the heavy rains only help the toads by giving them more places to lay their eggs safely.

While most amphibians are very useful creatures, acting as indicator species, pest control, and staples of other animal’s diets, those that end up being invasive have the opposite effect. If we want to keep native fauna safe from situations like this, it’s important that we educate ourselves on the dangers of invasive species, and are able to identify native species from invasive ones.

Poison Dart Frogs

Dart frogs may be some of the cutest, most vibrant little frogs we know of. They are also considered to be some of the most toxic animals on the planet. However, not all poison dart frogs carry a toxin deadly to humans, some produce poison only strong enough to discourage predators from eating them (they’ll spit the frog out once they get a taste of the poison.) while others are extremely toxic and even touching them is fatal to humans.

These frogs produce toxins in their skin, which can make even handling one of them very dangerous. There is one animal known to be immune to the poison these frogs produce, and is able to feed on them, that animal is Leimadophis epinephelus, a species of snake.

Phyllobates terribilis, otherwise known as the Golden Dart Frog holds the title of the most toxic animal on Earth. These little bright yellow frogs are one species of poisonous frog used by the Choco people of Western Columbia for their potent toxins. The Choco people will hold the frog with a leaf, and rub the tips of their blow darts on the frog’s skin to coat them with poison, making them much more effective for hunting.

Not all poison dart frogs are used to coat darts; in fact, only about three species are. nor are all poison frogs toxic to humans (as mentioned before). Captive-bred dart frogs don’t produce toxins, and are completely safe to handle and own as pets! Wild-caught dart frogs in captivity will slowly lose their toxin over time, and eventually stop producing it all together. But how does this work, how does an animal known for its toxicity simply become safe once put in captivity?

Well, their toxins are linked to their diet in the wild. Dart frogs will eat certain insects in the wild that provide them with chemical compounds needed for them to produce their toxins. In captivity, they lack these insects in their diet, without these insects, they cannot synthesize toxins, as they don’t produce the chemicals necessary on their own.

With that being said, you can own the “gems of the rainforest” in your own home with enough knowledge in keeping amphibians! These beautiful, vibrant frogs are endangered in the wild, however. You can help keep these frogs around through WWF’s “bucket of frogs“, not only do you get a bucket of non-toxic plush friends, but part of your purchase is donated to aid in the conservation of wild dart frogs.

Here’s a video of someone interacting with a wild poison frog.

A Bit About Axolotls.

The little creature with the charming smile shown above is called an axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). They are native to one specific lake in Mexico; Lake Xochimilco, located next to Mexico City. They’re currently critically endangered, despite being very popular pets, their numbers in the wild are extremely limited.

While these animals may look like aquatic lizards, they are actually amphibians, and look identical to tiger salamander larvae. Axolotls are essentially over-grown tiger salamander babies, that will stay that way for their entire lives.

This is a tiger salamander larvae.
( Dr. John P. Clare)

That’s not the only interesting thing about them, they were seen by the Aztecs as Gods. These “water monsters” (as their name translates to) have their own legend surrounding them. When the Gods would gather around a fire to sacrifice themselves for yield, the axolotl would escape his sacrifice by disguising himself as a salamander. The God’s name was Xolotl, and when his brother finally became cross with him dodging his duties, and went out to find him; when he finally found him, he was in Lake Xochimilco. His brother spared his life, but sentenced him to eternal darkness as a punishment for continuously dodging his sacrifices.

Xolotl, the Aztec God.
(There were no high-resolution images depicting the artwork)

In the wild, axolotls live in caves within the lake, or the darkest areas they can find, just like how Xolotl was left to reside in darkness. This is why they evolved such poor eyesight, similar to most other creatures that spend their lives in darkness.

But why are they critically endangered in the wild? The demands for the expansion of Mexico City call for the draining of more and more of the canals that they inhabit, they’re very popular in the aquarium trade, and in Mexico, roasted axolotl is a delicacy. Along with this, large fish (koi, and other carp species) have been introduced into the lake, as well as large birds like heron, that eat their food supply, and even the axolotls themselves, which causes their population to continue rapidly declining.

Axolotls have some of the cutest smiles in the animal kingdom, let’s do our best to keep those happy little faces thriving in their natural habitat, and pay more attention to the amphibian crisis we’re currently facing to keep those smiles on their faces.

Looking Into Glass Tree Frogs.

As their common name suggests, these tiny frogs appear as though they’re made out of glass. Glass frogs are found in rain forests across Central and South America, and spend most of their lives in trees (as they are arboreal).

As pictured above, their bellies really do seem to be made out of glass. Scientists still haven’t been able to put their finger on why these frogs evolved their translucent undersides, or exactly what the evolutionary advantage for it is. They are incredibly clear, and incredibly tiny, most species of glass frogs don’t grow over two inches.

These animals have a very unique apperance all around, but there’s one thing (aside from their glass bellies) that sets them apart from other frog species. Unlike most other frogs and toads, glass frogs have their eyes positioned facing forward. Most other frogs have eyes on the sides of their head to give them better peripheral vision. They really are interesting creatures that break a lot of rules of fitness in the natural world. This is another adaptation scientists are still puzzled about.

In 2015, a new species of glass frog was discovered in Costa Rica. It’s scientific name is Hyalinobatrachium dianae, but it is more commonly known as Diane’s Bare-hearted glass frog. The most exciting thing about the discovery of this frog: it looks just like Kermit.

Not only are they transparent, tiny, have eyes on the front of their heads, and look like live-action Kermit, but there are some species of glass frogs that make some of the best parents in the animal kingdom. Females lay their eggs on leaves, the eggs are surrounded by a protective jelly to keep them from drying out (as they are not laid in a body of water the way most terrestrial frogs lay their eggs). The mothers will sit on their eggs for the first few hours and keep them protected, but shortly after the males take over, and they make amazing fathers. As mentioned before, these frogs reside in the rainforest of Central/South America, which are densely populated by many other animals (particularly wasps) who would love to make a snack out of their eggs. Glass frog fathers risk a lot to keep their eggs safe from predators, they’ll face off with wasps to protect their young, going as far as to kick, and throw wasps away from their eggs. Now that’s some dedication.

A proud Dad guards his children.

To summarize, these tiny, see-through frogs have nothing to hide, look like everyone’s favorite muppet, and are amazing parents. There are many kinds of glass frogs, all equally interesting, and all equally cute. It’s very likely that there are even more of these frogs we have yet to discover, due to their small size and living high in the trees of some of Earth’s most dense rain forests. Only fieldwork will tell how many species of these animals we have yet to meet.

What is a Wood Frog? And Why Are They (Literally) Cool?

This guy is what’s commonly known as the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus and Rana sylvatica). They’re so cool they get two scientific names. They look like any other North American frog you’d see in a swamp, but don’t let their looks fool you, they can do something that most animals can’t.

They’re largely spread across the Norther part of North America, like Canada and Alaska. It gets very cold up there, by now you might be wondering how they survive this… The way they do it is extreme to say the least.

So, how does this little frog live through a bitter Canadian winter? Well, they FREEZE themselves, their living tissue freezes. They stop breathing, their heart stops beating, and a majority of their blood freezes. However, they still survive through this, and can remain in this state for up to eight months.

“Wood frogs have evolved ways to freeze solid for up to eight months each year. They’ve accomplished what would seem to be a biological miracle.”
National Park Service

Freezing live tissues can be dangerous, even fatal for most living things, as ice formation can rupture cells and change their shape. The wood frog has developed a way to prevent this from happening. They do this by using urea and glucose as cryoprotectants. Typically urea would be excreted as the main waste product in urine, I guess they have some of the world’s strongest bladders, and are great at reusing.

(National Geographic)
Did anyone ask him if he’s okay?

Wood frogs aren’t just cool because they freeze, they’re also a possible key to understanding blood sugar in diabetic humans. When in hibernation, they can withstand blood sugar levels 100 times higher than a healthy average without suffering any damage. Humans can only withstand about 2 to 10 times the amount of their normal blood sugar level before developing diabetes. They can even help us learn how to store organs for transplant, keep them frozen, and be able to thaw them with no tissue damage. Not only can wood frogs help with that, but understanding how they are able to halt their blood flow, then restart it could play a critical role in helping people who have had their blood flow temporarily halted by things such as heart attacks.

Cryogenics for preserving humans seems like a work of sci-fi, and is almost impossible, but these frogs do it every year. They’re really cool, because they’re really cool. Continuing to study the ways these frogs work their little miracles can help save human lives in the future.

10 Endangered Amphibians

Since 2004, it has been noted that amphibians are one of the groups facing the largest rates of endangerment. An estimated 42% (at least) of amphibian species have declining populations.

1.) Most people know the little guy pictured above, many people also think that he’s a type of fish… This is the axolotl (Ambystoma Mexicanum). They are a critically endangered species of salamander, that unlike others, retain their larval traits for their entire lives, remaining fully aquatic. The main cause of their endangered status is the release of koi to their native habitat, where they were once an apex predator.

2.) The lemur leaf frog (Agalychnis lemur) is a tree frog native to Costa Rica, and Panama. The exact cause of their rapidly declining population has not been pinpointed, but, may be caused by invasive species being introduced, logging, and urban development expanding into the rainforests.

3.) This lumpy lad is the Red-belly toad (Melanophryniscus admirabilis it can be found (rarely, due to them being critically endangered) in the Southern forests of Brazil. Their population continues to suffer due to the trapping of terrestrial animals, and pollution.

4.) Wow, this little frog is capable of a lot more than having striking gold skin. Not only can he kill you, but he is getting killed. This is the golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis). Native to the Pacific coast of Colombia. These frogs are EXTREMELY toxic (due to the insects they consume), but they are still an important part of their ecosystem. They’re put in danger by the decimation of the rainforests that they inhabit.

5.) This pointy nosed frog is known as Darwin’s frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) they can be found in Chile. Their declining population can be linked to commercial development, climate change, logging, and agriculture in the areas they inhabit.

6.) The Chinese giant salamander is the largest amphibian on the planet, and simultaneously one of the most critically endangered for many reasons.

7.) This is the reticulate leaf frog (Pithecopus Ayeaye), native to a few sparse forests in Brazil, they are critically endangered mostly due to human interference with their habitat. Pollution, and coal mining are some of the top things putting these little guys at risk.

8.) This boy; This boy right here is called Romeo. Romeo is a sehuencas water frog (Telmatobius yuracare). In the wild there are currently only FIVE left. Recently, after 10 years of being part of a breeding program, Romeo finally got his Juliet… (results are yet to be released, wish this handsome man luck.)

9.) Above is a picture of Toughie, who was the world’s last Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frog (Ecnomiohyla rabborum). Toughie’s species wasn’t described until 2005, and shortly there-after, went extinct in 2016. He was collected in a race against chytrid fungus that was rapidly spreading across Panama.

10.) Lastly, the wrinkly little Titicaca water frog (Telmatobius culeus) has been critically endangered for quite some time now, and due to severe water pollution, in 2016 over 10,000 of these frogs were found dead. Their population continues to suffer today.