The Mystery of the Legless Frogs

Starting in the late 1980’s, reports began surfacing of wild frogs or toads being born with extra limbs, or limbs that were partly formed or missing altogether. The cause of these deformities became a hotly contested issue in scientific circles.
Some felt the problems might be caused by predators or parasites. Others feared chemical pollution or [...]

Essential Frog Pee

Here’s a question you’ve no doubt pondered many times – are there frogs living in the Arctic?
Frogs after all, are amphibians who must have ponds, marshes or other bodies of water to survive. Water keeps their skin moist, and is essential for the development of the young. With temperatures plunging far below freezing in the [...]

More Frogs!!

Good news in frog world this week.
Scientists from the Spanish Scientific Research Council have found more than 200 new species of amphibian on Madagascar.
The discovery almost doubles the number of known amphibians on the island, and suggests the find of between 129 and 221 new species of frogs could also double the number of amphibians [...]

Frogs & Toads in Print

As early indicators of environmental stress, frogs and toads have been receiving a lot more attention lately. Now there’s a new book to help experts and beginners alike learn more about these little critters.
The Frogs and Toads of North America is a very special book. Covering all 101 species in North America, the book contains [...]

A Hairy Frog With Claws?

No we’re not making this up. Nature provides ample evidence of stranger-than-fiction creatures, and Africa’s hairy frog Trichobatrachus robustus certainly fits the category.
This 11 cm long amphibian is hairy during the mating season, when the male develops a thick bristle-like fringe along his flanks and thighs. The ‘hair’ is actually a mass of thin strands [...]