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Frog
Frog.
Namaqua Rain Frog (Breviceps namaquensis), family Brevicipitidae, Velddrif, South Africa
photograph by Tyrone Ping
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Couch’s Spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii), family Scaphiopodidae, South-western US
photograph by Eitan Grunwald
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basically, i think the general rule of thumb is: if someone REALLY wants the blood that’s inside of your body, and they’re like… a vampire, or a dracula, or some sort of mansquito, then that’s probably okay. a dracula and a mansquito are made for removing things like blood and swords from inside your body. that’s basically fine.
if something wants to get at your blood, and they’re, say, some kind of murdersaurus, or maybe a really big frog, that’s where the problems start to arise. a really frog is not made for removing blood, and your blood knows this, which is why it is so vehement about wanting to stay IN your body instead of coming out.
unfortunately this will not deter a really big frog, because a really big frog is full of things like prizes, and value, and quite a lot of hatred, and it would REALLY rather like to replace any and all of those things with your blood, and basically by any means possible.
String identified: aca, t t ga t : A at t tat’ , a t’ … a a, a aca, t at, t tat’ a a. a aca a a at a a g tg a . tat’ aca . tg at t gt at , a t’, a, a, a a a g g, tat’ t tat t a. a a g t a g , a t, c t t at atg t ta ta cg t. tat t t t a a g g, ca a a g g tg , a a, a t a t at, a t A at t ac a a a t tg t , a aca a a .
Closest match: Ipomoea triloba cultivar NCNSP0323 chromosome 11 Common name: Littlebell
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Sonoran Desert Toad aka Colorado River Toad (Incilius alvarius), family Bufonidae, Arizona, USA
- This species is known to produce a toxic compound from its skin, which is hallucinogenic.
photograph by Wyatt Keil
favouritefrog reblogged
Meet the seven new frog species we just named after iconic Star Trek captains!
Artwork by A. Petzold, CC BY-ND 4.0
At the right time of year along rushing streams in the humid rainforests that stretch the length of Madagascar's eastern and northern mountain ridges, otherworldly trills of piercing whistles can be heard.
Are they birds? Insects? Communicator beeps? Tricorder noises?
No, they're little treefrogs!
Boophis janewayae. Photo by M. Vences, CC BY-SA 4.0
Until recently, we thought all of the populations of these little brown frogs across the island were one widespread species, Boophis marojezensis, described in 1994. But genetics in the early 2000s and 2010s showed that there were several species here, not just one.
Now my colleagues and I have shown that they are in fact eight separate species, each with unique calls!
These whistling sounds reminded us so much of Star Trek sound effects that we decided to name the seven new species after Star Trek captains: Boophis kirki, B. picardi, B. janewayae, B. siskoi, B. pikei, B. archeri, and B. burnhamae.
Photos of all new species described by Vences et al. 2024. CC BY-SA 4.0
I subtly and not-so-subtly built some Star Trek references into the paper, but probably the best one is this one:
'Finding these frogs sometimes requires considerable trekking; pursuing strange new calls, to seek out new frogs in new forests; boldly going where no herpetologist has gone before.'
— Vences et al. 2024
There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that there are at least two Trekkies amongst the authors (including yours truly). As fans of Star Trek, we are also just pleased to dedicate these new species to the characters who have inspired and entertained us over the decades.
On a personal note, this marks a milestone for me, as it means I have now described over 100 frog species! I am very pleased that the 100th is Captain Janeway's Bright-eyed Frog, Boophis janewayae (if you count them in order of appearance in the paper)—she is probably my favourite captain, and I really love Star Trek: Voyager.
You can read more about the discovery of these new species on my website! You can also read the Open Access paper published in Vertebrate Zoology here.
favouritefrog reblogged
I got a pet pac-man frog recently and for the life of me I cannot come up with a good name for them, so I'm gonna roll the BLAST dice and see what comes up from this :D
Their too young to sex for now, and they're a coffee morph (Which means their much more brown and less green than normal), and I love them dearly already
They're still pretty small, so they're in a small little plastic container for now until they grow big enough to be in the 20 gallon-long tank I have
String identified: gt a t ac-a g ct a t cat c t a g a t, ' ga t AT c a at c t : T t g t , a t' a c (c a t c a g ta a), a t a aa T' t tt a, t' a a tt atc cta t t g g g t t ga-g ta a
Closest match: Pterostichus madidus genome assembly, chromosome: 8 Common name: Black Clock Beetle
I have decided that their full name name will be Beetle-Clock Madison-Macchiato the first
Machi for short
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Variable Harlequin Toads (Atelopus varius), family Bufonidae, Costa Rica
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.
- This species has been gravely impacted by the chytrid fungus, however they are slowly recovering.
photograph by Kevin Venegas Wildlife
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Working hard with Roofing Inspector Voigt today!
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It is Dinner Night so Jens has prepared by putting on his Official Oversized Round Frog Dinner Hat!
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day 1747
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Today a Very Brave Pancake has been Excellently Practising his Name!
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Mottled Shovel-nosed Frogs (Hemisus marmoratus), family Hemisotidae, South Africa
photographs: Johan Marais & Tyrone Ping
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Hi ho! The torch bearer!
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Is this amphibian a visitor from outer space? 🛸 Nope… it’s the Yucatan casque-headed tree frog (Triprion petasatus), a species that can be found in parts of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. How does it put its head to use? When the weather is dry, this frog has been observed nestling into tree holes. It plugs the opening with its hard head, using it as a barrier against the outside world. This is thought to help the frog retain extra moisture in its skin!
Photo: marcoalp, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
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Scientists make chance discovery of rare blue skin mutation in Kimberley magnificent tree frog
In short:
- Ecologists at a remote Western Australian wildlife sanctuary have been amazed to discover a blue tree frog.
- It is the only known discovery of a magnificent tree frog with a blue skin pigment mutation.
What's next?
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy scientists believe there may be more blue frogs in the Charnley River–Artesian Wildlife Sanctuary in WA's far north.
Magnificent Tree Frog (Ranoidea splendida), family Hylidae
In the far north of Western Australia, 2,500 kilometres north-east of Perth in the Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary, field ecologist Jake Barker couldn't believe what he was seeing when he received a photo from one of the sanctuary's land managers. Mr Barker said two land managers were in the workshop when they turned towards a bench and saw a blue magnificent tree frog sitting there. "Seeing the picture of the frog, it definitely elevated my heart rate and I was very excited and then getting down there to see it in person ... it was so cool, it was a really exciting and special thing," he said...
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Look, I don't think any of us were ready for Leptobrachium ailaonicum
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