Alphabet Blogging: F is for Frogs

My son has a love affair with frogs and toads for as far back as I can remember.  He is particularly fond of toads, but is totally loving it that our small pond out back is host to 4 different frogs.   Ergo when I was contemplating what to do for the letter f...I automatically thought about frogs.

I thought about talking about the common frogs we have in the backyard... and was fully intending to research the life out of them...until I ran into this one small fact... 

Frogs, frogs, frogs, Canada has frogs.   LOTS AND LOTS OF FROGS.

Including this funny fact.  We are host to two small populations of TAILED frogs.   Can you believe it?  A frog that has a tail.. and CANADA has TWO populations of slightly different types of them.

I was stoked!!   I just LOVE learning new things... don't you?

Anyways, on to this amazing little critter.  

The Tailed Frog is a remarkable little frog, unique to B.C. in Canada. It is a small frog, 2.5 to 3 centimetres from nose to rump.....Tailed Frogs have vertical pupils, no external tympanum (the round "ear" visible on other frogs), and are voiceless. (source)

Originally this little frog was simple called the tailed frog, but in the year 2000, it was split into two species. The first, the coastal species is called the Pacific Tailed Frog(Ascaphus truei).  The second is called the Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog (Ascaphus montanus). 

Both of these frogs live in very small areas of British Columbia, as well as in select area of the United States.  They live in fast flowing streams.  Their population densities are low and believed to be declining since so few of the rivers in the areas they reside are suitable for reproduction.

These two frogs are very close in colouration and needs, they can't handle temperatures above 20 Celsius. Cold fast flowing, small streaming with an abundance of small micro-climates are just what these frogs need. 

They are a long lived frog, juveniles staying close to home but 4-7 year old frogs dispersing widely from their point of birth.  A long incubation period for the eggs, combined with reproducing every other year, and the loss of old growth forests is contributing to their decline. 

Both sub-species are protected under the British Columbia Wildlife act, making it illegal to own, trap or kill any member of the species. 


Where did I find my information?
Frogwatch. 
Canadian BioDiversity.
Image. 
Sararegistry for Rocky tailed.
Sararegistry for coastal.
Wikipedia. 
British Columbia Frogwatch.

Now just so you know.. Canada has a WHOLE whack of other frogs.  From Spadefoots, spring peepers, tree frogs, bullfrogs, leopard and green frogs, pickerel frogs, cricket and chorus frogs, and so many more.  Check them out eh?  It's a fascinating wet world to explore.  :)

You can find out more here. 

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So Now that you know MY "F" word for the week, what is yours?  Want to join us?

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