Frogs - More Than Just Green

It's hard not to hear the word frog and picture a little green amphibian. Maybe it's the popularity of Kermit The Frog, or maybe it's because here in North America we're not exposed to many colored frogs. But they do exist! In particular, the toad genus Atelopus, which is known for being brighly colored (and very pretty, we might add).

Also known as "harlequin frogs" or "clown frogs", this species is found in Central and South America. Although many are endangered, new Atelopus species are frequently discovered.

8 Common Animal Misconceptions

We do our best here on the Jungle Store Blog to bring you daily interesting animal facts, but we have no problem deferring to someone else from time to time! Youtube user GCPGrey makes all sorts of interesting videos that bust common misconceptions about a variety of topics, and his most recent is about animals! From bats to frogs, here are 8 common misconceptions about animals…

Of course, our regular readers already know the origin of the myth behind lemmings, which we covered in this post. And do people really think the daddy long legs is a spider?

The Tomato Frog

This appropriately-named frog may look somewhat like a tomato, but the tomato frog is not an animal anyone - or any snake would want to eat.

Tomato frogs are native to the island of Madagascar where they feed on a variety of larvae and insects. If the tomato frog is threatened it will puff itself up into a ball to appear larger. If a predator attempts to eat the frog anyway, it will secrete a glue-like substance from its skin. This toxin will begin to gum up the predator’s mouth and eyes, forcing it to release the frog. Though this substance is not deadly, it can take several days for a snake to clean it out of its mouth. 

The Peculiar Purple Frog

Only discovered in 2003, the purple frog, also known as the pignose frog, is a living fossil and the only member of the Nasikabatrachus genus.

The purple frog was discovered by researchers in the Western Ghats region of southern India. Its distinctive appearance includes a bloated body, short legs and an extremely small head. The frog lives almost all of its life underground, using its pointed snout to easily access termite tunnels. The purple frog only comes above ground for a few weeks each year to find a mate. It also has a quite interesting call that sounds more like a chicken than a frog.

As purple frogs have only been found in small numbers in India they are considered endangered. Researchers propose that the purple frog’s only living relatives are on the Seychelles Islands, which were once joined with India millions of years ago.

Most Deadly - The Golden Poison Frog

The golden poison frog is the most lethal of the poison dart frogs and is considered the most poisonous animal on earth. The entire family of poison dart frogs gets their names from indigenous tribes in the South American rainforests that use the toxins secreted by these frogs to tip darts and arrows for hunting. It is estimated that the golden poison frog contains enough poison to kill 10-20 humans and up to 10,000 mice. The frogs do not actually manufacture this toxin. Rather it is ingested by the frogs when they eat certain types of native insects and is secreted through their skin glands. Golden poison frogs do not use their toxin to hunt; it is only for defensive purposes.

Photo: Wilfried Berns

Golden poison frogs are among the largest of the poison dart frogs and can reach a length of over two inches as adults. They are very brightly colored and are usually mint green, yellow or orange. The purpose of this bright coloring is to warn potential predators of the frog’s toxicity, as almost any animal that consumes it will die immediately.

The golden poison frog is diurnal, meaning it is active during the day. It hunts insects using its long tongue to strike and pull the prey to its mouth, a technique which demonstrates a high degree of intelligence. As these frogs have virtually no natural predators, they make no attempt to hide from larger animals and seem to be aware that they are not threatened by predators. They are social animals, and live in groups of 4-7 individuals. Being as they are immune to their own poison, these frogs interact with each other frequently.

In contrast to their incredible toxicity in the wild, golden poison frogs raised in captivity are harmless. Being as their poison is supplied by eating insects that only exist in the South American rainforest, they never become poisonous when fed garden-variety flies and crickets from birth. Wild-born poison dart frogs that live in captivity also eventually lose their toxicity, but it may take several years for this to happen.

Beware of Territorial Frogs

The Amazon horned frog is known for its size, growing up to 8 inches long. They feed on just about anything that is smaller than them, and they swallow their prey whole. They are so territorial and aggressive that Amazon villagers wear specific leather boots called botas escuerzas to prevent the frog from attacking.

Sing A Song of Spring

Spring peeper frogs have the ability to keep most of their bodies frozen during winter hibernation and still survive. As soon as winter is over though, they make it clear that they’re alive by singing a spring song. In fact, their singing is often taken as a sign that winter is over, just like the song of a robin. 

Mooing Like a Frog

The American bullfrog is the largest frog in North America, weighing up to 1.5 pounds and reaching a length of 8 inches. It is a nocturnal predator and will eat just about anything that will fit in its mouth. Their baritone call sounds like the mooing of a cow or bull from which it gets its name.

Bonus Fact: A female bullfrog can lay up to 20,000 eggs, which float in a clump at the surface of the water.

Pairing Up

Who ever said different species don’t get along? While researching for this blog, I stumbled upon some of these photos of strange animal pairings. They were too funny not to show, so check them out and have a good chuckle!

Mouse and Frog

Turtle and Hippo

Pony and Cat

Bird and Mouse

Scissor-like Hands Scare Off Predators

The hairy frog or “horror frog” willingly breaks its own bones so that it can produce a set of cat-like “claws” to defend itself. These retractable “claws” are literally the frog’s toe bones. When threatened, the bones break through the frog’s toe pads, giving it a creepy Edward Scissorhands-type look.

Eyes in the Back of a Frog's Head

When a frog swallows food, its eyes close and go to the back of its head. The eyeballs actually work to apply pressure that pushes the frog's meal down its throat!

50 New Species

Approximately 50 new species were discovered in Papua New Guinea during a 2008 Conservation International expedition. This tree frog species of the Nyctimystes genus is one of them. They exhibit a unique adaptation to their environment in the clear mountain river. The female frogs lay their eggs underneath river stones, and when the tadpoles hatch, they have mouths that can suction onto the river’s slippery rocks. To read more about these new species, visit National Geographic.

Top Ten New Species of 2007 Named: Number Three and Four

Number Three: Pink Dragon Millipede

This newly discovered millipede originates in Thailand. The bright color of the millipede’s body warns predators that this critter is packing poison in its spines, and it is not a sweet treat. Knowing this, it should be no surprise that this millipede has a habit of sitting in plain sight during the daytime. What does he have to fear?!

Number Four: Sri Lankan Shrub Frog

This frog has been bottled up for over 150 years, but was declared a new species when it was rediscovered last year. The refining of taxonomy in the 18th century has allowed for the discovery of 1.8 billion species, and scientists estimate that there are still over ten million species that have yet to be discovered.

To see a slideshow of the top ten new species of 2007 named, visit National Geographic.

Good Fathers - Frogs

We're only human. When it comes to toting our offspring we have to use our large brain and opposable thumb and create things like a nifty baby backpack.


Or this adorable stroller.

Or even a simple sling.

But it is not so for the Assa Darlingtoni, or, to use his more common name, the Hip Pocket Frog.

Hip Pocket Frogs live in Australia and, as with other animals from Down Under, they tend to do the whole baby thing a little differently. The hip pocket frog does not need water to breed or lay its eggs in. The female actually lays her eggs directly on the ground in a large gelatinous mass, about 3 cm square. Both she and her mate will guard the eggs from predators. A few days later the eggs will hatch. At this time, the male frog will wade into the jelly mass and smear it on his body. The little tadpoles will be able to wriggle along their dad's body until they drop into one of two pouches located on the dad's hips. The male hip pocket can carry about 6 tadpoles in each of his pouches. Here the tadpoles will stay, feeding of their leftover yolk sacs. When they become fully developed frogs, they will leap from their dad's "hip pockets" and go off without a backward glance.

Kids. Gotta love 'em.

Meet the Staff

The Manager of The Jungle Store is such an animal lover, she won't even eat them! She has owned Rats, Guinea Pigs, Frogs, Ducks, Geese, Turtles, Hamsters, Hedgehogs, Cockatiels, Gerbils, Chinchillas, Mice (which were saved from being fed to the class snake) and Fish. She would have shared her life with more critters, but her brother had pet allergies.

14 Million Americans suffer allergic reactions to pets. This is primarily caused by the pet's dander – tiny bits of skin that slough off daily. There are dog and cat breeds that cause only mild reactions, sometimes none at all. While researching the pet that is best suited to you and your family, you may wish to take the "allergy factor" into account.

Now that our Manager has her own home, she shares her life with these friends:
Hermit crabs Mr. Crabs, Crabby Patty and Patrick Star (he's the one in the pink shell). Some might say that Hermit crabs are easy to tend to, but they do require special care and a warm, moist environment.

Raisin is her owner's favorite companion. She was chosen out of foster care when she was 8 months old. Her mom was a Shar Pei, her dad, a mystery. Raisin loves to sleep, nap and dress-up. She's a great runner and finished third in our local Dog & Jog race. She promises a first place finish this year.

More dangerous colors

Another common color of poisonous Amazon frog is yellow and black. There are also blue, green, and yellow poison frogs. Sometimes they are called poison dart frogs or poison arrow frogs. Their skin is toxic. Though only 3 species are very dangerous to humans; the most deadly is the golden poison arrow frog.

These frogs feed mostly on spiders and small insects such as ants and termites.

One source said wash your hands after handling these frogs. I think I'll pass on handling them!

Jungle Jane

Wrestling frog

There are more than 100 species of small, highly toxic Amazon frogs. The adult strawberry poison frog is about an inch long. Male strawberry poison frogs are territorial and will wrestle for up to 20 minutes when another male intrudes. When the loser (usually the interloper) is pinned, he’s allowed to leave.

Strawberry poison frogs are found mostly in Central American and Puerto Rico. During the wet months, in parts of Puerto Rico, there can be almost 400 frogs per acre!

These red frogs have blue legs and are also called the blue jeans frog.

JJ

Webbed Feet

The degree to which a frogs toes are webbed is directly proportional to the amount of time the species lives in the water.

Lots of Frog

There are over 5000 species of frogs.