amphibian facts

[StuartDH]

Do you know any incredible, funny, amazing or bizarre amphibian facts? If so post them here for everyone to see.

[paul m]

Originally Posted by StuartDH

Do you know any incredible, funny, amazing or bizarre amphibian facts? If so post them here for everyone to see.

What I'm always impressed by is the paternal care given by Darwins frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) - young frogets develop in his throat. Darwin's Frog
Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised by this since several fish protect their young within their mouths so clearly the practice continued after evolution of the amphibians.

But another amazing fact is the number of frogs and toads that can live in deserts of Australia and Africa as well as America:
NPR : The Frog Man of the Sonoran Desert, Radio Expeditions

This gives lots of other fascinating facts
Hop to It - Irish Frog Survey - Frog Facts from Around the World

Perhaps this one should go in the insect repellent thread?
BBC NEWS | Health | Frog 'key to mosquito repellents'

[paul m]

Some of us will be able to watch -
BBC - Science & Nature - Life in Cold Blood -
which should answer many questions. There's a lot of info on the web for those who don't get the BBC - although I imagine that films like this are distributed worldwide?

[goosey]

Originally Posted by paul m

Some of us will be able to watch -
BBC - Science & Nature - Life in Cold Blood -
which should answer many questions. There's a lot of info on the web for those who don't get the BBC - although I imagine that films like this are distributed worldwide?

I am looking forward to tis series .
Luckily we are able to get BBC1 and BBC2 and can watch them straight off. But if we want to watch something at a later date on the internet, or listen to live sport commentary via internet, the BBC will not allow access as our user IP is from outside Britain

[black]

I caught David Attenborough on BBC 1's ONE show the other night, they showed a brief clip, looks excellent. It's probably one of those series that you could watch time and again and learn something new everytime. The DVD of the series is out late Feb.

[Atlascaproni]

Hellbender Salamanders, native to the Appalation Mt.s, are the third largest salamander in the world (after the Chinese and Japanese Giant Salamanders) and can get to up to one and a half feet!

[goosey]

King cobra's - Ophiophagus hannah, live mainly in the rain forests and plains of India, southern China, and Southeast Asia. They can be found in trees, on land and in water.

They feed mainly on other snakes but will also eat lizards, eggs, and small mammals.

King cobras can reach 18 feet (5.5 meters) in length, making them the longest of all venomous snakes.

They can deliver up to 7ml of venom in one bite which is actually enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant!

They are the only snakes that build nests for their eggs.

In the wild they live for an average of 20 years.

PS... Whoops! I just realised this thread was about amphibians - silly me!!!

[ozwildlife]

The female Southern Gastric-brooding Frog (Rheobatrachus silus) from Queensland, Australia gave birth to its young through its mouth. Apparently she swallowed the fertilised eggs or early larvae and they completed development inside the stomach. The stomach stopped producing hydrochloric acid during brooding. The last Southern Gastric-brooding Frog was seen in the wild in 1979, and its close relative the Northern Gastric-brooding Frog (R. vitellinus) has not been seen since 1985. The Queensland Government still optimistically lists them as endangered.

[goosey]

Originally Posted by ozwildlife

The last Southern Gastric-brooding Frog was seen in the wild in 1979, and its close relative the Northern Gastric-brooding Frog (R. vitellinus) has not been seen since 1985. The Queensland Government still optimistically lists them as endangered.

That is an interesting fact - quite remarkable!
I hope that either Gastric-brooding Frogs will be rediscovered in some remote, forgotten place one of these days! .

[paul m]

Canadian frogs and other amphibians:
Nature Canada: Join FrogWatch and Leap into Year of the Frog!
Seem they have much the same problems as frogs the world over ....

[paul m]

.... and how slime from the paradoxical frog could help humans with diabetes:
Is this frog the answer to diabetes? | the Daily Mail

[goosey]

Originally Posted by paul m

.... and how slime from the paradoxical frog could help humans with diabetes:
Is this frog the answer to diabetes? | the Daily Mail

It makes me wonder where scientists get the ideas of where to start searching for possible treaments in the first place. Then to make the connection in this instance between the adult frog and tadpole size being due to the compound which increases insulin production.
Excellent news for type 2 sufferers, it's a shame though they will have to wait years before the treatment is ready. It gives false hope, but I suppose the scientists need the positive news for funding to be able to develope it further.
Lets hope the paradoxical frog doesn't also succome to the chytrid disease which has been mentioned in other posts.

[amazinggrrl]

I'm just wondeirng why we don't hear more about the Year of the Frog -- 2008. The purpose was to draw attention to the loss of habitat and the resulting effect on frogs, etc. Here in southern Arizona, USA, the Leopard frog has declined drastically. There has been a concerted effort to repopulate Leopard frogs. People have been building frog ponds on their propoerties and then the frog populations are transferred to the national parks. It has been extremely successful. In honor of Year of the Frog, I have a Red-Eyed Tree Frog on eco-friendly bamboo/organic cotton t-shirts. 10% of sales proceeds goes to World Wildlife Fund's endangered species programs. Go to: Amazing Tee's, Collectible, Inspirational, Eco-friendly

[paul m]

Is this true - that all frogs and toads mate by moonlight?
BBC - Earth News - Amphibians mate under a full Moon
I'm not convinced but I shall check it out next year! (If I remember to put it on my Scheduler)

[Beverly Stayart]

We see very few frogs and salamanders, but quite a lot of toads in our garden.