Latest Frog Stories
The secret to frogs’ superlative jumping lies in their tendons. Researchers at Brown University, filming frogs jumping at 500 frames per second with special X-ray technology, show that the frog's tendon stretches as it readies its leap and then recoils, much like a spring, when the frog jumps. The finding could explain how other animals are exceptional leapers. Results appear in Biology Letters. Some species of frogs and many other animals are able to jump far beyond what appear to be...
'Eat That Frog' by Brian Tracy has been modernized for a new generation of readers. SmarterComics has converted the best selling business book into a digital comic book, and this newest version is now available for Android download (PRWEB) October 28, 2011 'Eat That Frog' by Brian Tracy is a motivational book focusing on the habits of procrastinators. 'Eat That Frog' highlights the main reasons people procrastinate in a simple, efficient manner. Tracy avoids delving deep into the...
SmarterComics has taken 'Eat That Frog' by Brian Tracy and transformed it into a digital comic-style book, and it is now available for Kindle download. (PRWEB) October 27, 2011 'Eat That Frog' by Brian Tracy is a call to procrastinators everywhere. From those who have trouble knowing where to start on their to-do lists, as well as those who focus all of their energy into completing smaller tasks first, and then dreading the major one (or two). Brian Tracy has three words of advice...
Research published in the October issue of The American Naturalist shows that Australian green tree frogs survive the dry season with the help of the same phenomenon that fogs up eyeglasses in the winter. According to researchers from Charles Darwin University in Australia, tree frogs often plop themselves down outside on cool nights during the dry season in tropical Australia. When they return to their dens, condensation forms on their cold skin—just like it does on a pair of glasses...
A PLoS ONE press release Usually it's the frog that catches the unsuspecting bug for a tasty snack, but in an unprecedented predator-prey role reversal, a certain group of ground beetle larvae are able to lure their amphibious would-be predators and consume them with almost 100% success. In a report published today in the online journal PLoS ONE, researchers begin to describe how these larvae are able to pull off this feat. According to the researchers, larvae of the genus Epomis...
SF State's Vance Vredenburg and team continue focus on mass extinction of amphibiansAn international team of researchers has completed the first major survey in Asia of a deadly fungus that has wiped out more than 200 species of amphibians worldwide. The massive survey could help scientists zero in on why the fungus has been unusually devastating in many parts of the globe -- and why Asian amphibians have so far been spared the same dramatic declines.The disease chytridiomycosis, caused by...
Female cognitive ability can limit how melodious or handsome males become over evolutionary time, biologists from The University of Texas at Austin, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have observed.Males across the animal world have evolved elaborate traits to attract females, from huge peacock tails to complex bird songs and frog calls. But what keeps them from getting more colorful feathers, longer tails, or more melodious...
A research team that included Hamilton E. Farris, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Otorhinolaryngology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, reveals that two entirely different species show similar perception of auditory cues that drive basic biological functions; that these perceptions may be universally shared among animals; and that such perception may also limit the evolution of communication signals. The work is published in the August 5, 2011 issue of...
The world's ravenous appetite for consuming thousands of tons of frogs' legs every year is driving the amphibians to extinction, and could have a significant impact on bio-diversity, according to a new report by international wildlife conservation groups.The report, entitled "Canapés to Extinction: The international trade in frogs' legs and its ecological impact", was authored by the groups Pro Wildlife, Defenders of Wildlife and the Animal Welfare Institute, and is the first comprehensive...
A study conducted by Hamilton Farris, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Otorhinolaryngology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, reveals new information about the way tungara frogs in the tropical rain forest hear, sort, and process sounds which is very similar to the way humans do. The knowledge could be applicable to communication disorders associated with hearing loss and attention deficits or difficulties. Dr. Michael Ryan at the University of Texas, Austin,...
Latest Frog Reference Libraries
The Spanish painted frog is found in Spain in and around rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, meadows, and pastures. This species thrives where there are limestone or gypsum soils at sea level up to 6,500 feet in elevation. The Spanish painted frog is a medium-sized frog that has a dark colored body with spots or stripes. The belly of this species is pale white or yellow. The skin is smooth with two lines of skin from behind the eyes running the length of the body. These lines are glands...
The Iberian midwife toad is found around the Iberian Peninsula in southern and eastern Portugal, and also in western and central Spain. The elevation range of this species is between 300 - 4,265 feet, but it is typically found around 2,000 feet. The Iberian midwife toad prefers dry habitats in meadows and open forests with sandy soil that grow vegetation adapted for dry regions. However, this toad relies on streams and pools for the development of the tadpoles. The Iberian midwife toad is...
Frogspawn, (Euphyllia divisa), is a species of stony coral native to the Indo-Pacific islands. The related coral E. paradivisa is sometimes misidentified as frogspawn leading to some confusion. E. divisa has a corallite skeleton with a flabello-meandroid (continuous skeletal) “wall” structure, whereas E. paradivisa has a tree-like branching structure with separate corallites. Frogspawn is commonly used in marine aquariums.
Raining animals is a rare meteorological phenomenon, although there have been occurrences reported from many countries throughout history. It is believed that this phenomenon occurs at least occasionally when strong winds that are traveling over water pick up live debris (fish, frogs, etc.) and carry them up to several miles depositing them over land. Though this is one theory, it has never been witnessed or significantly tested. Animals that are most likely to drop from the sky during a...
The Purple Frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) is a species of frog belonging to the family Sooglossidae. It is found in the Western Ghats in India. It is also known as the Pignose Frog. It is a fairly new recognized species as it was discovered in 2003. However it was well known to the local people before this and several earlier specimens had been ignored. It is a unique species for its geographic region. The Purple Frog looks like a typical frog. It has a squat body, somewhat rounded...
