Froggy News

Latest Froggy News can be found in the New FrogBlog, here.

Live frog in lettuce stuns mom

A health-conscious Brooklyn mom says she nearly jumped out of her skin when she found a little green frog napping between the leaves of a head of organic lettuce she brought home.
Read more....

Group finds toad the size of a small dog

DARWIN, Australia - An environmental group said Tuesday it had captured a "monster" toad the size of a small dog.

With a body the size of a football and weighing nearly 2 pounds, the toad is among the largest specimens ever captured in Australia,according to Frogwatch coordinator Graeme Sawyer.
Read more....

Colorful ( & Poisonous) Frogs - not really news, but this webpage has a huge gallery of lovely photographs of colorful frogs. Worth a look!

Pollutants change 'he' frogs into 'she' frogs - PARIS (AFP) - Frogs that started life as male tadpoles were changed inan experiment into females by estrogen-like pollutants similar to thosefound in the environment, according to a new study.

Why you Lying Frog!!! - If you happen across a pond full of croaking green frogs, listen carefully. Some of them may be lying.

A croak is how male green frogs tell other frogs how big they are. The bigger the male, the deeper the croak. The sound of a big male is enough to scare off other males from challenging him for his territory.

While most croaks are honest, some are not. Some small males lower their voices to make themselves sound bigger. Read the full story...

It seems that cane toads are quite the trouble makers. Australia has long been battling with issues of toad invasion. Their introduction to these territories lead to a population explosion which has begun to threaten a lot of the local native wildlife and has been deemed one of the nation's "biggest mistakes". It's become a huge issue, with Vietnam Vets now enlisting in the war against the toads..
There are now reports that crocodile populations will go up as the cane toads provide them with plenty of prey. And even weirder, it seems that cane toads are still dangerous even after they are dead. Evidently, a fertilizer made from pulverised cane toads is now under recall because the stuff starts to explode when it ferments. And now all the neighboring areas that still aren't overrun by the croaking intruders have even added toad sniffing dogs to their border patrols. And they're not joking around either - folks caught importing cane toads into presently unravaged areas such as Victoria face enormous fines for the offense.

8 New Frog Species Discovered in Laos "BANGKOK, Thailand - You want to find a new frog species? Head to the Southeast Asian nation of Laos. gcScientists working in conjunction with the New York-based World Conservation Society, or WCS, say they have discovered eight new species of frogs in the past two years. Among them is one where the male is half the size of the female and another which has a row of spines running down its belly."

A bottle-green Australian frog may hold the key to future mosquito repellents, a study says.

News 24 article, Sydney Morning Herald article, ABC Online article, BBC article

A cave so huge that helicopters can fly into it has just been discovered deep in the hills of the South American jungle of Venezuela. Inside, scientists discovered a new species of deadly Poison-Dart Frog.

News-links: KUTV article, FOX News article, All Headline News article

Frog Bridge in Inami-cho, Wakayama Prefecture.

Japundit website ran an excellent story with pictures and links detailing the history and background of this whimsical looking bridge in Japan.

Kermit the toad : Toad "Kermit" sits on a toy scale before being weighed during an annual check-up at Hanover's zoo, where 2072 animals of 217 different species live. (AFP/DDP/Jochen Luebke)

Water district lays pipe to cool endangered frog - A Contra Costa County water supplier has laid 8 miles of pipe across rural grasslands to prevent California red-legged frogs from drying out and dying in the blistering summer heat.

New frog exhibit opening at Wisconsin zoo - The Henry Vilas Zoo is going to the frogs, in a very "ribbiting" exhibit opening New Year's Eve.

California Forest To Be Closed To Protect Endangered Frog - Access to area north of the Angeles Crest Highway will be limited to the public, starting Tuesday, to protect the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog.

Cane toads love those disco lights

Repeated experiments have confirmed what cane toad trappers suspected - toads are attracted to a type of light commonly used in nightclubs. Trials show black lights attract toads, even when there is other light around.

£3000 to improve road, for toads Up to £3000 of council money is to be spent on helping an endangered species of toad cross the road safely by lowering the kerbs as well as installing road signs.

Lou The White Frog Is A Connecticut Rarity

The white frog found by Matt Taylor last summer is not actually an albino frog, but lacks the pigmentation to give it green coloring. The frog, now in residence at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, is the only green frog from Connecticut in the zoo's collection with this color anomaly. -Steve Taylor photo

Flying dead toad used to smuggle SIM cards into Bangkok prison - " A number of mobile phones and SIM cards were seized during a surprise search at Bang Kwang prison in Nonthaburi province yesterday. The search was part of the prison's attempts to prevent inmates from running illicit drug operations from behind prison walls.

Prison commander Sopon Thititam-pruek said there were frequent attempts to smuggle mobile phones and SIM cards into the prison compound, because Bang Kwang housed a large number of drug dealers. (...) 'We have found a mobile phone hidden in food, in pork leg stew. SIM cards were found inside a dried squid. One was found stuffed inside a dead toad which was thrown over the prison wall,'' he said."

Frog Sweat A Possible Cure For Aids. Oh, here's a more on the topic.

Vanderbilt University researchers found that secretions from the skin of some Australian frogs were effective in the test tube at killing HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. They hope their findings will lead to the creation of a topical ointment containing synthetic secretions that will help cut the spread of the deadly worldwide pandemic.

Frogs may help in fight against HIV - A new weapon in the battle against HIV may come from an unusual source -- a small tropical frog.

Amphibian centre for London Zoo Frogs, toads and other amphibians are getting a new home at a conservation centre at London Zoo.

Feds drop boreal toad from protected list U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which administers the Endangered Species Act, said Wednesday it's dropping the boreal toad from the list because it is a subspecies of a toad whose habitat ranges from Alaska to New Mexico.

Beloved Kermit the Frog Approaching 50 Next month, Kermit the Frog, the star of the Muppet Show, will reach that half-century milestone!

To the left: AP Photo: Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, poses with one of his puppets, known as Kermit...