Bullfrog Metamorph
It’s the time of year that local green frogs and bull frogs are leaving their watery confines to try a life on land. These large frogs breed only in permanent bodies of water, because they spend several years as a tadpole before metamorphosis. Unlike our vernal pool species, which breed earlier and are leaving their temporary pools before they dry, these species rely on permanent water that allows their tadpoles to overwinter – sometimes several times, depending on latitude. Want to learn more about the frogs in your neighborhood? There are Peterson Field Guides for that thanks to Roger Tory...
Read MoreA Frog that Few Have Laid Eyes On
Here is a frog that few have ever laid eyes on – Legler’s Tree Frog (Ptychohyla legleri). This is one of the target species of RTPI Director Twan Leenders’ recent trip to the mountains of Costa Rica where he joined RTPI Research Associate Alex Shepack in surveys of imperiled amphibian populations. Legler’s Tree Frog is an endangered species with a very small and highly fragmented distribution range. It is the only species in its genus in lower Central America; its nearest relatives are found in northern Nicaragua and countries north of there. This recently metamorphed individual was found...
Read MoreGlass Frogs
Researchers from the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI) have been monitoring Glass frogs and other amphibian species in Central America for more than two decades – not only to keep these frogs from extinction, but also to learn how some populations have been able to survive catastrophic declines due to the parasitic Chytrid fungus. Hopefully this information will help us as we try to find ways to help other endangered species as well. Glass frogs owe their common name to their transparent undersides which, in some species, allow one to see their internal organs. Note...
Read MoreOl’ Three Toes the Bull Frog
This piece – carved from a rock known as Utah alabaster by artist Dale Weiler – is currently on view at RTPI. Weiler explains: “This was my very first stone carving, which I created in Maine in 1992 at my first (and only) stone sculpting class. I was smitten the moment my hand touched stone and I knew I was born to be a stone sculptor.” Come in and see all of the pieces by Dale and his late father Milton C. Weiler that comprise “The Weiler’s Evolution: a Father and Son’s Artistic Journey” exhibition.
Read MoreAmphibians Abound
The first wave of amphibian breeding has now passed, and early vernal pool breeders are making room for the next wave of frogs to show up at our local wetlands. American toads, pickerel frogs and leopard frogs have been calling for a week or so now, and green frogs and bullfrogs will join in soon, Of course, the spring peepers just won’t stop calling at all… Did you know that you can easily tell the difference between frog eggs and toad eggs? Frog eggs are always laid in a clump or a floating raft, while our toads produce long, corkscrewing strands with a single line of eggs in the center...
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