Frog Tees

There’s an amazing bit of news on the Discover Channel Web site. Scientists have discovered that the Chinese Concave-eared Torrent Frog (Odorrana tormota), can manipulate its hearing system to select particular frequencies (rather as humans might tune into individual radio stations) in order to selectively choose what it hears. The most likely reason for this evolutionary development is its extremely noisy environment.

5 for Frogs is a five-month campaign beginning in May. Concerned individuals are encouraged to tell at least 5 people about the amphibian crisis and commit to an activity that will raise money in any amount of "5". The time frame for raising funds should be 5 days, 5 weeks or 5 months, in order to help Amphibian Ark raise $500,000 to save 5 species of frogs. Fifty ideas for getting involved are listed on the Amphibian Ark Web site .

As part of an event hosted by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Kermit the Frog spoke up for frogs and amphibian conservation…Kermit for President?!

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Today is Earth Day, a timely reminder to listen to the global message we’re hearing from the threatened frogs on our planet.

Take a look at Frogster, a computer game developed by the Vancouver Aquarium to help teach kids about the dangers facing frogs! The idea of the game is very simple - get the frogs to safety while avoiding DANGER!

Amazing news appearing all over the Internet is this story about the discovery of the first lungless frog! Read the full story by Susan Milius in Science News

The species, Barbourula kalimantanensis, is so rare that until last year only two specimens were known to science and no herpetologist had seen it alive, says David Bickford of the National University of Singapore.

“It’s one of the most famous frogs in Borneo,” says Bickford. No one wanted to slice the frogs up for dissection, so no one had noticed the absence of lungs.”

UNE GRENOUILLE SANS POUMANS

Originally uploaded by morabetma

Vancouver Aquarium has a great channel on YouTube…this film of the False Tomato Frog is just one of the amazing videos you’ll find there:

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Interesting recording of the song of the Eastern Gray Tree Frog and cricket frogs in a drainage ditch at Riverbend Forest Preserve, Champaign County, Illinois, USA.

The additional sounds in the background are made by crickets, geese on the lake, a bird in the woods and American toads in the distance…

Photo source
Audio source

Taking shape

Originally uploaded by Richard Brown 56

There’s an interesting and timely piece of frog news on the BBC News Website today warning would-be frog conservationists about the dangers of a decades old do-it-yourself method of rehousing frogs by moving frogspawn from pond to pond…

Conservationists are urging people not to carry out “frogspawn-swapping” this spring because of problems they say it can create for the pond environment.

Wildlife-lovers in the UK often donate frogspawn from their ponds to others to give frogs a potential new home.

But the Froglife charity said this could lead to the spread of invasive plants and harmful diseases.

Source: BBC News

Thirteen rare finger nail-sized frogs have been born for the first time on one of New Zealand’s main islands.

The Maud Island frogs were found in the frog enclosure at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington and have been taken to Victoria University.

When they have grown they will be released into the wild.

Source: Stuff.co.nz

Check out the stunning gallery at La Repubblica

Today, 29 February, is Leap Day or International Day of the Frog - the official launch date for the Year of the Frog.

For details of how you can help, please visit the Amphibian Ark and sign the on line petition today!