Do you want a pet that is low-maintenance, interesting, and cute? If so, then you should consider getting a reptile! Reptiles make great pets for people of all ages, and there are many different types to choose from. Here are nine reasons why you should consider getting a reptile as a pet, including tips on […]
Tag: frog
Tiny new tree frog species found in rewilded Costa Rican nature reserve
Nestled in a valley between two volcanoes, Donald Varela-Soto heard something unfamiliar. For six months, he searched for the source of a shrill frog call along the edge of a wetland in Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, a former cattle ranch in northern Costa Rica. “I kept hearing this different sound in the wetland but was […]
Frogs are the “canary in the coalmine,” suffering first when the environment is toxic
As humans encroach on frogs’ territory, tadpoling has become extinct in many suburban waterways. There is, however, a technique to entice them back: frog motels. Frogs, according to Australian Museum herpetologist Dr Jodi Rowley, are the “canary in the coalmine,” suffering first when the environment is toxic. “Most frog species – not all, but most […]
Amazon frog highlights appropriation of Indigenous knowledge for commercial gain
The Amazonian giant leaf frog, or kambô (Phyllomedusa bicolor) has bulging eyes and bright green skin, and despite its name, is actually quite small. It’s perhaps best known for its skin secretion, a mucous substance with medicinal properties that several Amazonian Indigenous groups have used for centuries — and which is also attracting the attention […]
Study: Breeding adaptations help tree frogs thrive in different climates
COLOMBO — Amphibians evolved from a fish ancestor that had functional lungs and bony lobed fins, which helped them become the first vertebrates to conquer land. Keeping these earlier trails, today’s frogs and toads also have larvae with gills that need an aquatic environment until they transform into air-breathing adults. But this unique feature hasn’t […]
80 critically endangered spotted tree frogs are jumping back into the wild in New South Wales
80 critically endangered spotted tree frogs are leaping back into the wild in NSW two years after the 2019-20 summer bushfires nearly wiped out the species. “Despite all the challenges this species has suffered, releasing these 80 spotted tree frogs back into the wild is a reminder to have optimism about the conservation work we’re […]
A record-breaking wet season in Queensland has resulted in ideal breeding conditions for many frog species
While many people are getting tired of the rain, frogs appear to be making the most of the damp conditions. A record-breaking wet season in Queensland has provided many frog species with ideal breeding conditions. “With all the flooding that we’ve had, the numbers are through the roof,” Queensland Frog Society president, Ashley Keune, said. […]
New assessment shows Sri Lanka’s amphibians being pushed to the brink
COLOMBO —Adam’s Peakis Sri Lanka’s fourth-highest mountain and considered a holy site for people of multiple faiths, who flock there in their thousands during the pilgrimage season from December to May each year. The trail to the summit cuts across the biodiversity-rich Peak Wilderness Sanctuary. It was on the edge of this busy trail that […]