Newsflash: TWO New Species Found In Vietnam.

One of the biggest reasons to save the rainforest involves finding new species. National Geographic does not slack in that regard, showing us a few new species that have only been documented in January of 2013. Here are two new herps recently identified in Vietnam:

Source.

This colorful fellow is called Calotes bachae. It is an agamid lizard, meaning that it is related to agamas and Uromastyx lizards. Since there are indeed several hundred agamids in Asia, this one is in good company. There are even other light blue ones to keep the male of this new species company.


As per the National Geographic article here, "During mating season, the colors of the male lizards—which can measure up to 11 inches (28 centimeters)—become especially vivid, ranging from cobalt blue to bright turquoise. This serves to attract females and to intimidate other males, said Hartmann.
While by day the lizard's blue and green coloration is striking, at night it appears dark brown, "showing no bright coloration at all," said Hartmann, a Ph.D. candidate at the Herpetology Department at the Museum Koenig in Bonn, Germany." Surprisingly enough, this striking lizard can be found in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, as well as some reserves. 

Source.

The other big discovery is Helen's flying frog, named after the researcher Jodi Rowley's mother. Ironically, it was found on a log instead of in the trees.

Flying frogs are pretty cool on their own, but this one has extra adaptations for parachuting from tree to tree. The hands are huge, even by flying frog standards; the hind legs are webbed on almost the entire limb. If this gliding style has kept it from being discovered, it's gotta be pretty effective!

Unfortunately, both of these unusual creatures are threatened by habitat loss and too much contact with humans. Both of them were also found fairly close to civilization. Go outside sometime; you might be surprised what can be found close to your house.

Creature Feature: Purple Burrowing Frog.

With the exception of designer reptiles, it's really hard to color-coordinate things with animals. Purple is particularly rare in nature, despite it allowing creatures to blend in with flora. In some cases, however, it just makes us humans wonder what nature was on.

Why this purple burrowing frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) is, well, purple, is a complete mystery. It is native to southern India and feeds exclusively on underground insects. Although numbers in the wild are still unknown, we are currently working under the assumption that the frog is endangered.

For the record, nobody seems to know exactly why this frog is purple. It does not seem to be camouflage; this frog spends 90% of its time underground. The color is actually the least interesting thing about the purple burrowing frog, in any case.

Since its (re)discovery in 2003, the frog was treated as being in its own family. Looking at skeletal evidence tells otherwise. Looking at fossil evidence, the purple burrowing frog looks very similar to the extinct Seychelles frogs, which were last seen 120 million years ago on Gondawanaland. The purple frog would have evolved independently from there; in other words, the purple frog is a living fossil. Always cool to have more of those. 

So, how did this frog evade scientists for so long? Short answer: It didn't. Almost a century before the adults were discovered in 2003, the tadpoles had been described in 1918. These are weird little buggers with suckers to help them deal with turbulent river currents. The adult frog was not visible at that time, so the chubby purple freak did not go on record until recently. 

The reason for the delay is that the adult frogs spend their whole adult lives underground. They surface only to mate in monsoon season. Otherwise, they're feeding on underground insects (particularly termites). Locals and lesser herpetologists had already known of the frog for decades; scientific literature had a hard time catching up. I guess "pig-faced purple frog" just sounded too crazy for them.

Found on Wikipedia. License unclear.

By the way, if you happen to see two purple frogs getting it on? The male is on top of the female, and he is tiny.

Unfortunately, this bizarre frog is also highly endangered. Less than 200 have been found by science. The main actual risk lies in deforestation. There is a very low chance that these frogs will be bred in captivity, although no doubt scientists are trying. If they get popular enough, they might even get their own color shade.

Frog Week: Gastric-brooding Frog.

Alas, the time has come to end Frog Week. It's been a fun ride; frogs are usually taken for granted, but they really are cool creatures that deserve a lot more love than they receive. Hopefully, you all have been stunned by how strange and wonderful one of the most common types of animal can be.

But we still have one more. Remember how I said that today's would be a little more subtle? Take a looksie at this one and tell me if you notice anything weird about it:



Looks like a fairly normal frog, doesn't it? Look again.


From www.global-greenhouse-warming.com.

Yes, that is a very tiny, immature frog in its mother's mouth. The frog in that picture is one of two types of Gastric-brooding frog (Rheobatrachus). Gastric-brooding frogs are - or were- native to Australia. They have been seen eating insects on land and in the water. They were discovered in 1984 and were among the few aquatic Aussie frogs (read: everything is backwards and on crack in Oz). They were called "platypus frogs" down under simply because they were aquatic.

As the non-Australian name might imply, Gastric-brooding frogs were the only frogs in existence that hatched their young in the mother's stomach. Some of the eggs were eaten; by the time all was said and done, the mother had approximately 21 young in her belly. The non-digested eggs were coated with a substance called prostaglandin E2, which turned off the mother frog's stomach acid. The babies emerged not as tadpoles, but as juvenile frogs. Reminder: The last frog we saw with highly-developed young was the pipa toad, whose babies emerged from her back in a fashion akin to Gremlins without any fluffy fur. Yeah, reptilian parthenogenesis doesn't hold a candle to the sheer weirdness amphibians can do to reproduce.

If you have been paying attention to the grammar of my paragraphs, 1. you're probably a linguist and 2. you will notice that many of the verbs concerning these frogs were in the past tense. These frogs are either extinct or very, very endangered, depending on whose list you check. They were officially discovered in 1984; the Southern variety may have gone out of existence before then, and the last Northern individual was seen sometime in the '80's. We thought the pearly tree frog was elusive; at least we are fairly sure that it still exists. The reasons for these frogs going extinct are multifold, but fungal infection and habitat loss are the most commonly cited causes.



This frog and the pearly tree frog both show how fragile amphibians can be. That's a shame, seeing as they're crucial to many ecosystems and often beautiful to look at.  With countless amphibian species vanishing right under our noses, this year, make a resolution to give them their due.

Frog Week: Hairy Frog.

So many amphibians, so little time. As frog week winds down and the new year comes to a close, I find myself wondering what to end the year on. Something subtly freaky would not cut it, no sir! Saving a more subtle frog for tomorrow meant that I HAD to do this one...




The hairy frog (Trichobatrachus robustus) is native to Central Africa. It eats any small, squirmy thing that will fit in its mouth. It is mostly a terrestrial frog, but lays its eggs in the water. If you see a "monster frog" or "horror frog" list, there is absolutely no doubt you will see this frog on there. Cameroon seems to have horror frogs besides this guy, too. Be afraid.

The species is, obviously, named for the 'hair' on the body and thighs of the male specimens. Yes, only the males have the species's namesake 'hair,' and even then, only in breeding season. The females are much smaller and lack the growths entirely. It's sorta like in humans where the ladies are nude, but the men can have hair anywhere.

The 'hair' on this frog is, as one probably guessed, not really hair. They are technically called "dermal papillae." In mammals, these would be a part of regular hair growth. In frogs, they're extended into what scientists think are 'gills' of sorts. They have arteries running through them and a lot of surface area, just like the gills of larval salamanders. Since the male spends quite a lot of time guarding the water-bound eggs before they hatch, it makes sense for him to have this bizarre beard.

Source: Blackburn, NewScientist.

As if hair wasn't weird enough, this frog is one of the rare frogs sporting retractable claws. These weapons come with a sinister kick: much like Wolverine's signature blades, the hairy frog's claws can only be unleashed if they poke through the frog's skin. They are not true claws, being all bone, but they still hurt predators quite a bit. This is officially a frog who thinks he is a cat. Or Wolverine, take your pick.

Oh, and people in Cameroon roast and eat this froggie. It's not endangered except by habitat loss, either. Hoppy New Year! *Shot for horrible pun.*

Frog Week: Turtle Frog.

Hello, hello! If you look above you, you will see a brand, shiny-new banner! Yes, I know it's still a little misaligned, but we have gerbils working on that. Welcome to Frog Week, one and all!  



Wait. Those are frogs? They look oddly reptilian for frogs. Holy carp, are they rejects for experiments to create real Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? That would be awesome.

Haha, rest assured, the pink, fleshy creatures up there are indeed frogs. They're turtle frogs (Myobatrachus gouldii) - burrowing frogs native only to one arid region in Western Australia. That these frogs are Australian should explain a lot to many of you. They are approximately 2 inches long, which only adds to their strange cuteness. They are the only members in the genus Myobatrachus, meaning that they're unique, even for Aussie creatures.

Turtle, turtle! :D

Turtle frogs do indeed look a lot like turtles. They have small heads, round bodies, and stumpy limbs. Even though there are other burrowing froggies out there, turtle frogs even dig like turtles.We really are not fit to judge if these little guys are turtle-y enough for the Turtle Club, but they sure do come close.

Turtle frogs are uniquely adapted to a hot, dry environment. They hatch underground, developing entirely within the eggshell. Most of their time is spent underground or digging for termites. Even when calling, the males only have their strange, alien heads above the ground. They only emerge after it rains, probably freaking out several bystanders.



These frogs eat termites. Only termites. (If you read the entry on numbats, another Australian termite eater, this should sound familiar.) We suppose this is a good thing if you ever find the buggers eating your furniture. Otherwise, termites may be a little bit difficult to find should you desire one of these weird frogs as a pet. I'm not even sure if they can be kept as pets due to this strange food source.

This frog, unlike many others this week, is under absolutely no threat. Phew! 

Creature Feature: Glass Frogs.

There are some areas in which being a frog must suck. Besides the sensitivity to pollutants in the environment,  a very interesting puberty, and having many things want to eat them, frogs also have the misfortune of being what science calls "model organisms." Basically, if a scientist wants to test something on a lesser vertebrate, it will probably be either a frog or a mouse. (Rabbits and pigs are common favorites, too.) Frogs are also extremely common in college biology labs, with nearly everybody cutting open at least one frog in their academic career.

Please do not touch my innards -  Kermit.

The frogs have protested: They have evolved skin that is as clear as crystal so that, if you want to see how their bodies work, all you have to do is turn them over. No knife required. You can see the systems in action without performing crazy vivisections! Seriously, this critter is a living biology model.

Pay attention. This'll be on the quiz.

There are a number of glass frogs native to Mexico and Central and South America. They form the family Centrolenidae, which consists entirely of small (5-7 cm) treefrogs with translucent bodies. In short, there are a lot of these guys, and therefore plenty of biology models if you should ever want to venture into the rainforest.

The translucent skin on these frogs serves as the best camouflage ever. There are few better ways to blend in with something than to have skin colored just enough that it does not show bones. That is, unless the frog gets turned over - then it's like showing a predator one of those revolving dessert tables. Fair enough.

 

Glass frogs also have some interesting egg-laying habits. Instead of laying their eggs in water, some species lay their eggs on leaves that are near water. Since there are a million things that eat frog eggs, the eggs on leaves have a slightly better chance of survival. (Hey, at least they aren't supermoms like the pipa toads.) They are also among the few frogs that give parental care to their eggs before they hatch. Males have been found protectively sprawled over their eggs...which looks a little odd.



As with all frogs, glass frogs are indicators of environmental toxins.  Some species are endangered; others are of least concern.  There are some people captive breeding glass frogs, so, if you really want to see one up close, go for a specimen that won't hurt the natural ecology. Here are some handy tips for keeping and identifying your very own glass frogs- sweet. Regardless of which glass frog you find, enjoy looking at it while it's still around!

(Y'know what? I've been doing too many frogs. Next week will be frog and toad week. Period. Any suggestions can go down below.)