A boa constrictor in the U.K. gave birth to 14 babies—without a mate. Is it a miracle? The result of a secret rendezvous? Probably not. Females of species have the ability to reproduce asexually, without sperm from a male. The process is called parthenogenesis, from the Greek words for “virgin” and “birth.” Some plants and […]
Tag: amphibians
Today April 28th is Save the Frogs Day
Your world is busy fast paced and loud, running to catch up with your lives and whatever your crowd. But in the middle of this far and near, we frogs and amphibians are starting to disappear. The croaks and the ribbits the folklore you created… without your help to extinction we are fated. We are […]
People Encouraged to Freeze Toads to Death in National Cull
Thousands of invasive toads are about to be killed by Australian locals as the annual Great Cane Toad Bust kicks off, with experts urging participants to euthanize the amphibians humanely using the “cool-and-freeze” method. The Bust, organized by environmental group Watergum, is due to start on January 13 and will last a week. Australian residents […]
4 Things About Red-Eared Slider Turtles You Likely Haven’t Heard Of
There are over two hundred different species of sliders, and most of them reside in the Americas. These turtles are recognizably different from one another, with some having red or orange markings on their shells and heads. In this blog post, we will explore four things you likely haven’t heard of about red-eared sliders. From […]
Hidden in plain sight – Frogs and other wildlife of the Watagan Mountains
Stretching along the southern end of the Great Dividing Range, between the Hunter River Catchment and the Tuggerah Lakes, WataganMountains are part of the Eastern Escarpment World Heritage area. Only an hour’s drive north of Sydney, these mountains containpatches of rainforest that trace their origins to the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. Despite being made up […]
Getting hugs from a toad
Unlike ducks that refuse to stand still, frogs and toads are good models for photographers visiting ponds. They usually hold their poses for several minutes. They don’t do it for us. It’s their strategy to be inconspicuous so nearby creatures might make the mistake of getting within the reach of their mouth or long, sticky […]
The sound of silence
. Silent Spring, the ground-breaking book by Rachel Carson on the negative effects of DDT and other pesticides, celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Carson’s genius, in part, was in personalizing a difficult and somewhat esoteric subject using a humble and ubiquitous example—nearly everyone, regardless of age, education or political leaning, could easily grasp the […]