The cane toad is a large and highly toxic amphibian. It’s considered one of the world’s most destructive invasive species after being introduced to countries across the globe as a biological control against insect ‘pests’ on sugar-cane crops, hence its common name. These introductions were largely unsuccessful, particularly in Australia. Find out everything you need […]
Tag: amphibians
“As temperatures drop below freezing, it freezes solid, with 70% of the water in its body turning to ice. It stops breathing, its heart stops beating and its kidneys stop functioning”
The only amphibian to live north of the Arctic Circle, the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) has an amazing ability to undergo freezing and thawing to survive cold winters. As you might guess from its common name, it lives mainly in woodland, only taking to shallow pools in springtime to breed, the males uttering a distinctive quacking call to attract mates. What […]
It has the legs of a supermodel, can run at 40mph and leap 3m high – yet is just 50cm tall. Meet one of the world’s weirdest, yet most beautiful, cats
Graceful, wild, and built like a runway model with a hunter’s instinct—this guide dives into the captivating world of the serval cat. How big are serval cats? Counting the head and body serval cats are between 67cm-100cm long, with the tail adding between 24–35cm on. Males are the heaviest weighing between 10–18kg, while females weigh […]
“They were bouncing off umbrellas and pavements and hopped off in their hundreds…” 10 times it rained animals
You’ve heard of it raining cats and dogs. Thankfully, it’s just a figure of speech, but did you know that sometimes it really does rain animals? From starfish and shrimp to fish and frogs, sometimes creatures really do fall from the sky. The episodes leave people running for cover and scratching their heads, prompting explanations […]
“It’s the only known example of necrophilia having an evolutionary advantage – to both the male and the unfortunate female…”
Nature is never a good place to look for moral guidance. Anything goes, as long as it increases the chances of one’s genes being passed down the generations. Take the male Amazonian frog Rhinella proboscidea – it doesn’t even care whether its mates are alive or dead. Like many amphibians, the species is an explosive breeder. Males […]
“This huge ‘cloud’ seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly frogs started to fall from the sky. I thought a plane carrying frogs had exploded…”
For a few surreal minutes in June 2005, the residents of a small Serbian town were forced to do a reality check, after storm clouds gathered and frogs rained down from the sky. Thousands of the amphibians are said to have fallen to the ground, forcing traffic to a standstill and locals to run for cover. One resident […]
Africa’s amphibians are overlooked in conservation planning, experts warn
Herpetologists are calling for greater inclusion of amphibians in African conservation planning, in a recent letter published in the journal Science. Africa is home to roughly 1,170 known species of amphibians, 99% of which are endemic. Some 37% of the amphibians are recognized as threatened with extinction. The researchers note that amphibians — frogs, salamanders and caecilians — […]
“Its venom disrupts the blood-clotting system, causing haemorrhage and kidney failure. Without prompt treatment bites can be fatal…”
This little desert hunter may not look especially imposing, but its bite can be deadly, and in India it is one of the “Big Four” snakes thought to be jointly responsible for around 58,000 mortalities per year. Those that encounter the saw-scaled viper would do well to heed the rasping warning sound it emits before […]