#frogwatch

On this World Frog Day, let’s take the time to celebrate the outstanding diversity of frogs around the globe. Amphibians are an important indicator species for healthy environments and a vital part of the food chain. But in many parts of the world, frog populations are declining, and many species are on the brink of extinction.

As Director of Conservation Programs for Roger Williams Park Zoo, I see the threats that face wildlife every day. Frogs are no exception. Habitat loss, over-collection for the pet trade, the introduction of non-native invasive species, road mortality, and now an infectious fungal disease have all led to what scientists are calling a global amphibian crisis.

RWP Zoo has been committed to frog conservation since the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) deemed 2007 “The Year of the Frog.” It became my job to see what our zoo could do to help with this crisis. Growing up, I was always fascinated with amphibians and reptiles, so this task was important not only to our institution, but to me personally.

I took this ball and ran, and since 2007, our work has contributed to the conservation of some of the world’s most critically endangered frog species. I traveled first to Panama in 2007, where habitat loss and the fungal disease were wiping out populations of frogs at an alarming rate. For many years, I worked with in-country partners to set up invertebrate breeding cultures to feed some of the most endangered Panamanian frogs being bred at rescue centers. The rescue centers were built to keep these frogs from going extinct, and at the time, were the only hope for many species in Panama and around the world.      

Our work there led to our current partnership with the San Antonio Zoo and Austral University in Valdivia, Chile. This project aims to set up labs in Chile for the captive breeding of critically endangered Chilean amphibians and the insect cultures needed to feed them. Many of the species we are and will be working with are endemic to Chile and found nowhere else in the world. These frogs are seriously threatened with extinction due to habitat loss from logging and agriculture, the introduction of non-native trout for sport fishing, and disease.

In January of this year, Dante Fenolio from the San Antonio Zoo Center for Conservation & Research and I traveled to Chile to oversee the delivery and setup of the first component of our lab complex. We also visited forested sites that are home to the only remaining populations of some of the most endangered species of Chilean frogs. We will concentrate on augmenting these populations and creating new populations with frogs raised in the labs.

While Rhode Island is not experiencing amphibian declines at this time, RWP Zoo offers an important opportunity for you to make a difference and contribute to amphibian conservation in our own backyards. FrogWatch is a citizen science program that uses volunteers to help biologists keep an eye on the health of our local populations of frogs and toads in neighborhood ponds and swamps.

Volunteers are taught to identify frog calls at a training session and commit to visiting an amphibian habitat once a week throughout the spring and summer to listen for calling frogs and toads. Data that is collected is shared with a national database of frog populations, local students, land managers, and state biologists. Trainings this year will be held on March 31 and April 6.

The call of Blanchard’s cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi) is similar to the sound of two metal ball bearings or marbles clicking against each other. Or perhaps the sound of two magnetic rocks (like the ones someone might find in a souvenir shop) connecting.

Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)

Today’s post is dedicated to the chorus frogs, of which there are many. Due to the amount of different species in the US (12 in total not including Spring Peepers) I decided to split them up based on appearance and similarity of call.

We begin with the Boreal Chorus Frog today as it is the most widespread of the 3 species we’ll discuss. It can be found as far north as the Northwestern Territories in Canada, as far south as New Mexico and North Texas, as far west as Idaho, and as far east as New Hampshire. This range is the main aspect that defines it as it sounds and looks almost identical to 2 other species of chorus frog.

Two of the other more common species of chorus frog are the Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triserium) and the Upland Chorus Frog (Pseudacris ferarium). These two species physically have the same tan backs, pale underbellies, and dark streaking that the Boreal Chorus Frog has along with the same distinctive dark eye mask that most chorus frogs possess.

Auditory-wise all three sound identical with a trill similar to the sound of someone pulling back the bristles of a comb. When in groups it can almost sound like bells which often gets them mistaken for Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer). This is why, similar to the situation with cricket frogs, your location at the time of observation is really important when identifying these species.

The Western Chorus Frog, contrary to its name, has the most east range of these species. While it used to be thought to extend well into the lower midwest and some of the Great Plains region, those populations were discovered to actually be Boreal Chorus Frogs. Now this species is known to mostly occupy Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio with some populations in northern Kentucky, eastern Illinois, and western Pennsylvania.

It’s Toad Time!