Clipmarks | Socratoad's Amphibians collection

Rare frog turns deaf ear to distracting noises

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:08:44 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Rare frog turns deaf ear to distracting noises

CHICAGO _ With a twitch of a muscle, the Chinese concave-eared torrent frog brushes off the sounds of thundering rivers, focusing on the one thing that really matters:

The siren song of the opposite sex.

The rare frog is the only animal known to be able to turn a deaf ear to distracting noises while enhancing the calls of its own kind, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

When the frog is calling for a mate, a piece of cartilage in its Eustachian tubes _ the canals that connect the ears with the mouth _ largely blocks out distracting low-frequency sounds like rushing water. Scientists hope their discovery may lead to improved hearing aids.

"This probably is the only example we know of in the animal kingdom with this unusual adaptation," said Albert Feng, professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Illinois and one of the study's lead authors.

Breeding Bid to Save Frogs

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:00:30 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.dailyme.com

Breeding Bid to Save Frogs

SELECTIVE breeding of frogs may be the best way to stave off the threat of extinction, according to scientists.

Amphibians across the globe are being threatened by a deadly and virulent fungus.

Conservationists estimate that 170 species of frogs have become extinct in the past 20 years and other species may now be under threat.

The Amphibian Chytrid Fungus was named and discovered in the 1990s.

Biologists at Lincoln University, New Zealand, suggested that selectively breeding frogs with diseaseresistant genes would be the best way of safeguarding species from extinction.

Caribbean frog populations started with single, ancient voyage on South American raft

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 18:56:23 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

Nearly all of the 162 land-breeding frog species on Caribbean islands, including the coqui frogs of Puerto Rico, originated from a single frog species that arrived on a sea voyage from South America. They came 30 to 50 million years ago, according to DNA-sequence analyses by scientists at Penn State.

Similarly, the scientists found that the Central American relatives of these Caribbean amphibians also arose from a single species that arrived by raft from South America.

The field work for the study required nearly three decades to complete because many of the species are restricted to remote and isolated mountain tops or other inaccessible areas. Some species included in the study are believed to be extinct because of habitat degradation and other causes.

To make their discovery, the researchers sequenced the DNA of nearly 300 species of Caribbean, Central American, and South American frogs.

Tags: science, biology, zoology, herpetology, south america, central america

Frogs and Toads in Color and Sound

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:31:17 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Enjoy the sounds and songs of these amazing little creatures

Clip Source: www.naturesound.com

Frogs and Toads in Color and Sound
by Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio

Twelve photographs are featured in this photo-album, along with RealAudio sound recordings of each species' calls. Click on the thumbnails below to view enlargements and hear sounds (photos and sound recordings copyrighted by Lang Elliott; all rights reserved). See below for links to the soundfiles only.

Pine Barrens Treefrog


Carpenter Frog

Tags: frogs, toads, sound, amphibians, nature

Shortcuts make education fun

Mon, 28 May 2007 17:17:35 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: This is just one of Jeff Harris' educational comics. Go to his past issues to see the remarkable collection he has created. His comics appear in the Classrooms section of a newspaper I read, and apparently are distributed by the NEA.

Clip Source: www.shortcutscomic.com

Tags: education, science, comics

New Color-Changing Frog

Thu, 24 May 2007 21:15:48 GMT

clipped by: dorine

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

Bangkok, Thailand, May 24, 2007—A new species of color-changing frog found in northeastern Thailand sits motionless on the brown soil.

Named the Phu Luang Cliff frog after the national park where it lives, the amphibian, which can grow to 3.5 inches (8.9 centimeters) has a naturally green body that can turn brown.

Scientists have found the rare frog in mountain waterfalls and creeks between 3,280 to 4,291 feet (1,000 to 1,500 meters) above sea level,

The frog was discovered a few years ago, although scientists have only recently began studying it, Tanya said.

Tags: animals, frog, new species, thailand

Wood Frogs

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:41:51 GMT

clipped by: mowse

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Wood Frog is the common name given to Lithobates sylvaticus^[1]^[2], previously Rana sylvatica. They are the only frogs found north of the Arctic Circle. In winter, as much as 35-45% of the frog's body may freeze, and turn to ice. Ice crystals form beneath the skin and become interspersed among the body's skeletal muscles. During the freeze the frog's breathing, blood flow, and heart beat cease. Freezing is made possible by specialized proteins, glucose and perhaps accumulation of urea, which prevent intracellular freezing and dehydration. Individual Wood Frogs tend to stay in the same 1,000 square foot (100 m²) area during their lifetime.

Tags: frogs

The Weirdest Frog In The World

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:46:25 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: skirmisher.org

The Weirdest Frog In The World

Clip Source: skirmisher.org

Discovered only about four years ago in India, the Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is a “chubby, seven-centimeter-long, purple amphibian with a pointy snout.” It was found hopping around in the Western Ghats, a range of hills in western India [Wikipedia entry here].

Its head appears too small for its body and it looks more like a squat, grumpy blob than a living creature.

While this purple frog reminds us of a shiny lump of ice cream, our resident starving bums agree it would be a succulent main course for what will be called “Roasted Purple Frog Delight.” The legs look particularly tasty.

More mouth-watering images after the jump.

Tags: science

toadzilla!

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:03:28 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Dog-sized toad found in Australia

Enlarge Image

A giant cane toad the size of a small dog and nicknamed Toadzilla has been captured in northern Australia.

Toadzilla is the biggest cane toad ever found in Australia's Northern Territory and weighs just under two pounds, according to an environmental group.

The toads were introduced from Hawaii in the 1930s in a failed attempt to control native cane beetles.

Environmental group FrogWatch, which organises hunts to destroy the toads, said the creature measured 20.5cm (8 inches) and weighed 861g (1.9lb).

"He is huge. I would hate to meet his big sister," said FrogWatch co-ordinator Graeme Sawyer.

Tags: toad, giant, australia, toadzilla, wildlife

Weird New Frog

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:09:39 GMT

clipped by: Cielerella

Clip Source: skirmisher.org

The Weirdest Frog In The World

Tags: science, weird

It's not easy being green

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 21:03:40 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Scientists from around the world are hoping to save the Earth's amphibians from extinction with an "Amphibian Ark" project.

"This is a mass extinction never before seen in human history," Joseph Mendelson, curator of herpetology at Zoo Atlanta, told The Los Angeles Times. "From a purely cold-hearted scientific perspective, it's a fascinating thing to document when we're still guessing what happened to dinosaurs."

The biggest threat facing the amphibians, mostly frogs, is the chytrid fungus. In the past 10 years, 170 of 6,000 amphibian species have become extinct. Now, 2,000 species are threatened, the scientists said.

"Bringing (frogs) into an amphibian ark is really the last option," Kevin Buley, director of herpetology at Chester Zoo in England and chairman of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria's amphibian ark told the Times

Tags: science

Pollutants change 'he' frogs into 'she' frogs

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:05:25 GMT

clipped by: dorine
clipper's remarks:

Even tadpoles exposed to the weakest concentration of the hormone were, in one of two groups, twice as likely to become females.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

PARIS (AFP) - Frogs that started life as male tadpoles were changed in an experiment into females by estrogen-like pollutants similar to those found in the environment, according to a new study.

The results may shed light on at least one reason that up to a third of frog species around the world are threatened with extinction, suggests the study, set to appear in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in May.

In a laboratory at Uppsala University in Sweden, two species of frogs were exposed to levels of estrogen similar to those detected in natural bodies of water in Europe, the United States and Canada.

The results were startling: whereas the percentage of females in two control groups was under 50 percent -- not unusual among frogs -- the sex ratio in three pairs of groups maturing in water dosed with different levels of estrogen were significantly skewed.

Tags: animals, frogs, experiment, estrogen, hormones, science, health

Some Zoo Creatures

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 23:07:52 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Curious about who lives at the Zoo? Find the facts about your favorite Zoo animal.

A little something for kids of all ages

Clip Source: www.oaklandzoo.org

Curious about who lives at the Zoo? Find the facts about your favorite Zoo animal.

BIRDS:

Bishop, Orange
Cockatoo, Sulfur-Crested *
Corella, Long-Billed
Crane, African Crowned
Crane, Lilford
Crow, Pied
Dove, Tambourine
Duck, White-faced Whistling
Egret, Cattle
Emu
Fishers Lovebird
Flamingo
Goose, Egyptian
Guinea Fowl, Helmeted
Hammerkop
Hornbill, Wreathed
Hornbill, Red-Billed
Hottentot, Teal
Ibis, Hadada
Ibis, Sacred
Kite, Black *
Kookaburra
Lapwing Plover

MAMMALS:

Baboon, Hamadryas
Sun Bear
Bison
Bobcat
Camel, Arabian
Chimpanzee
Chinchilla*
Deer, Sika
Eland
Elephant
Elk, Tule
Flying Fox, Island

Flying Fox, Malayan

Gazelle
Gibbon
Giraffe
Goat, Pygmy
Goat, Alpine
Goat, La Mancha
Goat, Nubian
Hedgehog*
Hyena

Lemur, Ring-tailed
Lion
Meerkat
Monkey, Squirrel
Muntjac
Otter
Pig
Rabbit, Old World
Kangaroo Rat*
Sheep
Siamang
Tiger
Cotton-topped Tamarin
Tenrec*
Tammar Wallaby
Wallaroo
Vervet (Green Monkey)
Warthog
Zebra

ARTHROPODS:

Walking Stick
Chilean Tarantula
Hissing Cockroach
Millipede
Meal Worm Beetle

Red Knee Tarantula

REPTILES:

Anaconda, Yellow

Alligator
Bearded Dragon

Chameleon, Nosy Be
Gecko, Leopard*
Lizard, African Plated
Lizard, Great Plated
Lizard, White-throated Monitor
Python, Royal *
Skink, Blue Tongued
Snake, Brown House
Snake, California King*
Snake, Corn*
Snake, Pacific Gopher *
Snake, Taiwan Beauty
Tortoise, Aldabra
Tortoise, Hermann's*
Tortoise, Spurred
Turtle, Eastern Box*

AMPHIBIANS:

Bullfrog*
White's Tree Frog*

Lilac-Breasted Roller
Macaw, Blue & Yellow
Parrot, Amazon*
Parrot, Princess
Parrot, White-Crowned*
Pigeon, Speckled
Roller, Blue-Bellied
African Spoonbill
Toucan, Chestnut Mandibled
Vulture, Griffon
Weaver, Taveta Golden

Tags: zoo, creatures, animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, arthropods, beetles

Ancient Tree Frog Found Encased in Amber

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 01:53:17 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

February 17, 2007—A miner from Mexico's Chiapas state has made the find of a lifetime—a tiny tree frog preserved in amber that could be 25 million years old, a scientist recently announced (map of Mexico).

Tags: discovery, science, evolution, biology

'Amphibian Ark' seen as species' last best hope

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:17:42 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

'Amphibian Ark' seen as species' last best hope

Scientists aim to round up frogs and related animals before a deadly fungus kills them off.

ATLANTA — Scientists from across the world gathered here Thursday to launch an "Amphibian Ark" for thousands of species of frogs, toads and salamanders threatened by a deadly fungus.

The ark project was envisaged as scientists came to realize that the amphibians could not be saved in the wild, said Kevin Zippel, the project's amphibian program officer. The group is appealing to zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens across the world to construct special bio-secure facilities for 500 each of nearly 2,000 endangered amphibian species — most of which are frogs.

After the frogs are collected, they would be cleaned to make sure they did not bring the fungus into the captive environments. It is estimated that that portion of the project will cost about $40 million.

The scientists estimate that their larger goal of researching how to save the species will cost 10 times that amount. They are establishing a global fundraising campaign and plan to designate 2008 "Year of the Frog."

Scientists liken the crisis facing amphibians from the fungus and other causes to the extinction of dinosaurs: About 170 of the nearly 6,000 species of amphibians have become extinct in the last decade, and 2,000 more are threatened.

"This is a mass extinction never before seen in human history," said Joseph Mendelson, curator of herpetology at Zoo Atlanta and executive director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' amphibian specialist group. "From a purely cold-hearted scientific perspective, it's a fascinating thing to document when we're still guessing what happened to dinosaurs."

Among the extinct species is the Costa Rican golden toad. The Panama golden frog and the Dominican mountain chicken frog are close to extinct. In California, about 85% of the 650 frog populations at Yosemite National Park are infected with the fungus.

Tags: science, amphibian ark, frogs, fungus, endangered species