#herptofauna

Pumpkin Toadlet (Brachycephalus ephippium)

Family: Brachycephalidae (Flea Toad Family)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

This tiny, brightly-coloured frog is found only in Southeastern Brazil where it inhabits humid montane forests and lives among the leaf litter on the forest floor. Reaching an average length of 18mm it is one of the smallest frogs in the world, and as such it feeds on only the smallest arthropods, particularly springtails (small, superficially insect-like arthropods that primarily live in soil.) During the breeding season, which lasts from October to March, male Pumpkin Toadlets carry out elaborate courtship displays by lifting their heads, inflating a pouch under their chins and producing a high-pitched call comparable to the buzzing of cicadas, although bizarrely females lack the range of hearing to actually detect the males’ calls and seem to select a partner based solely on the visual elements of the display. Female Pumpkin Toadlets lay their eggs on the forest floor and roll them in soil to help them blend in with their surroundings, and around 64 days later the eggs hatch as small yet fully-developed frogs (making the Pumpkin Toadlet one of the only species of frog that does not begin life as a tadpole, and one of the only amphibians that does not require a source of water to breed.) Although they are born with brown skin to help them camouflage with leaf litter, the young toadlets eventually develop the ability to secrete a potent toxin from their skin when threatened, and once they are able to produce these poisons they take on the bright orange colouration seen in adults to warn potential predators of their toxicity.

HELP SAVE THE ARCHEY’S FROG

Archey’s Frog (Leiopelma archeyi)

Family: Leiopelmatidae (New Zealand Primitive Frog Family)

IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered

Considered a living fossil, this tiny frog is a very unusual creature - one of the most evolutionary unique amphibians on earth, its ancestors diverged from all other frog species around 200 million years ago (around the same time that the earliest dinosaurs appeared) and it has changed little since then. Owing to its primitive biology, it differs drastically from the majority of living frogs - it has muscles in its torso that seem suited to moving a tail (despite the fact that it has no tail in its adult form), it produces toxins in glands in its neck to provide protection from predators and as it lacks the ability to produce a mating call and is functionally deaf it communicates and locates mates by producing strong-smelling pheromones. Found in only 2 sites on North Island in New Zealand as of 2021, this species’ population has plummeted in recent years due the introduction of invasive predators, the spread of pathogens (including the deadly chytridiomycosis fungus, which has been responsible for catastrophic declines in amphibian populations worldwide) and human encroachment into its already extremely limited habitat. At present the OceanaGold Corporation is seeking permission to begin gold mining operations in Coromandel, one of the last strongholds of Archey’s Frog populations, and should this be allowed to go ahead the impacts on the species as a result of habitat disruption and destruction will be catastrophic. The thought that a species that originates from a time period predating the dinosaurs would be driven to extinction in our lifetime is undoubtedly a harrowing thought, and action must be taken to save this living fossil. Please consider signing the petition linked below to play a part in protecting the Archey’s Frog and other protected species that share its range - signatures from outside of New Zealand seem to be accepted.

Petition: https://action.greens.org.nz/no_new_mines

Arabian Sand Boa (Eryx jayakari)

Family: Boidae (Boa Family)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Resembling a living sock puppet, this goofy looking snake is found in deserts across the Arabian Peninsula and is immediately recognisable thanks to its distinctive eyes, which (uniquely among snakes) are located on the top of its head. Although these bizarre eyes may seem ridiculous, they do serve an important purpose - the Arabian Sand Boa is an ambush predator, spending most of its time buried in the sand with only its elevated eyes exposed and lurching at any suitable prey (primarily small lizards) that comes near. In addition to allowing it to catch prey, this behaviour also allows it to avoid detection by predators and prevents it from overheating in the desert sun. It spends the day buried, but will emerge at night to relocate and search for mates. Although most members of the boa family give birth to live young, the Arabian Sand Boa produces small clutches of 4-7 eggs which it buries in the sand. The hatchlings (also known as snakelets) emerge roughly 66 days later, and as is typical for a reptile they are independent at birth.

Couch’s Spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii)

Family: Scaphiopodidae (Spadefoot Family)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Found in dry grasslands and savannahs in northern Mexico and the southern USA, this small nocturnal frog inhabits an environment that is considerably drier than those typically favoured by amphibians. In order to the survive the dry season this species spends most of the year underground, using hard, spade-like ridges on its hind feet to dig backwards into loose soil to a depth of around 1m (about 3.3ft) before producing a moisture-retaining cocoon-like structure by shedding several layers of its own skin. Once this water-tight case has been produced the frog enters a dormant state in which its metabolism decreases drastically and all but its most essential bodily functions cease for months at a time. As the levels of rainfall increase during the spring the presence of moisture causes the spadefoot’s cocoon to break apart and ends the hibernation period, at which point males will crawl to the surface and immediately begin searching for sufficiently deep puddles created by the rain. Once he finds a suitable puddle a male will produce a loud, honking call (which I strongly suggest you look up, as it is both hilarious and adorable) and inflate a large pouch under his throat to attract a mate. As is true of almost all frogs the female Couch’s Spadefoot lays her eggs in water and conceals by attaching them to any available aquatic vegetation, but as this species lays its eggs in puddles the eggs and young must develop extremely quickly to ensure that they are able to survive on land before the puddles evaporate - the eggs hatch just 36 hours after being laid, and the young go from tadpoles to frogs and are already developed enough to reproduce after 30-40 days. Adults of this species remain active throughout the rainy spring and summer, seeking out suitable puddles to breed in and consuming large amounts of small insects to build up the fat reserves necessary to survive hibernation until next year’s rainy season. 

Crested Gecko (Correlophus ciliatus)

Family: Australasian Gecko Family (Diplodactylidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Like many lizards, the Crested Gecko is capable of detaching its tail when threatened in order to distract predators and buy itself time to escape. Unlike many lizards with this ability, however, its tail never grows back, and as such most adult Crested Geckos in the wild (including the individual pictured above) lack the long, slender tails with which they are born. Endemic to the unique humid pine forests in the southern regions of the New Caledonia archipelago, this species is arboreal and nocturnal - it spends the day sleeping while clinging onto sheltered branches, and awakens at night to feed on insects, fruit and nectar. Tiny hair-like structures on its toes and (where present) the tip of its tail allow a Crested Gecko to cling to most surfaces, and when travelling between branches its powerful hind legs allow it to leap considerable distances in a manner comparable to tree frogs (which it has been suggested this species may exhibit a degree of convergent evolution with, as in the absence of any frog species in New Caledonia several geckos have developed frog-like anatomy.) Little is known about the life cycle of wild Crested Geckos, but it has been found that in captivity females are capable of producing clutches of around 2 eggs every 4-6 weeks for up to 10 months after mating only once. Feared to have gone extinct in the late 1800s, this species went unreported for nearly a century before being rediscovered in 1994. It remains threatened by unsustainable collection to meet the demand for Crested Geckos as exotic pets, forest fires caused by human activity and competition or predation from invasive species (particularly the Little Fire Ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, a small but extremely aggressive species of ant capable of consuming Crested Geckos by swarming them in enormous numbers.)

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Sulcata Tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata)

Family: Testudinidae (Tortoise Family)

IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered 

Reaching lengths of up to 70cm and weighing 36-50kg (79.30 to 110.13lbs) the Sulcata Tortoise is mainland Africa’s largest tortoise, and one of the largest tortoises in the world. Found in deserts and dry savannahs, it primarily inhabits the southern Sahara and makes its home in a deep burrow which it digs using its strong, curved front legs - this burrow both provides shelter from the intense heat of the day and retains heat to allow it to survive the brutal cold of the night. This species is crepuscular (meaning it is most active at dawn and dusk,) leaving its burrow when the temperature is relatively comfortable to search for desert-growing plant such as succulents which not only provide it with nutrients but also with water (as there are few permanent bodies of water across their range Sulcata Tortoises have evolved to extract as much water as possible from the plants that they eat, and as such do not need to drink.) Strictly territorial, Sulcata Tortoises respond aggressively to the presence of other members of their species near their burrows and will attempt to chase them away by biting at their legs and head, ramming their sides and attempting to flip them onto their backs to prevent them from fighting back. During the mating season (which lasts from June to March and coincides with periods of relatively high rainfall) males will begin to tolerate the presence of females but will become increasingly aggressive towards other males, fighting off rivals to impress females before engaging in elaborate courtship displays which involve circling the female and ramming against her shell to prove his strength. A few months after mating a female will dig a deep nest into sand or loose soil into which she lays 15-30 eggs before burying them to allow them to incubate for a further 8 months. After hatching the young (which resemble adults but are paler in colour and drastically smaller, averaging around 4-6cm in length) dig to the surface and set out to create a burrow of their own, although they are likely to create several burrows throughout the course of their over 50 year long lives. Habitat destruction, human-influenced climate change and poaching (both for meat and to be kept as pets) poses a threat to the survival of this pugnacious reptile.

New Mexico Whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicanus)

Family: Teiidae (Whiptail Family)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

There are no male New Mexico Whiptails - this species reproduces asexually through a process known as parthenogenesis, and produces offspring that are genetic replicas of their mother. Despite reproducing asexually, New Mexico Whiptails still mate with one another in same-sex pairs before laying eggs, and it is though that the act of copulating is what triggers ovulation in this species (this is still considered asexual reproduction as the exchange of gametes/sex cells does not occur.) After completing this mating process, both partners will lay a clutch of 1-4 eggs. Found in a wide range of semi-arid habitats in northern Mexico and the US states of Arizona and New Mexico, this species is active during the day and feeds on small insects which it both hunts on the ground and forages for by digging through loose sand and soil. As a last-ditch effort to escape pursuing predators, New Mexico Whiptails can shed their long, bright-blue tails while a series of muscles allow it to continue to twitch for a few minutes after dethatching from the body, distracting the predator and giving the lizard a chance to escape.