Cephalopodcast

Cuban Tree Frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis), a common but introduced species in Florida. Picture by J. Robertshaw

According to the Gregorian calendar, today is Leap Day. It is also the beginning of an amphibian conservation promotion by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as part of their Year of the Frog campaign. Frogs and toads are the most numerous group of the amphibians, which also include the newts, salamanders and caecilians. But they are all in trouble.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums will highlight 2008 as the Year of the Frog to mark a major conservation effort to address the amphibian extinction crisis. The Year of the Frog is also meant to engage the public in amphibian conservation and to raise funds for AZA amphibian conservation efforts into the future.

Find out the Top 8 Ways to Help Frogs in 2008

1. Look, listen, and learn: educate yourself and your family about amphibians.
2. Visit an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions near you and experience your very own amphibian adventure!
3. Create amphibian friendly environments by providing clean water, hiding places, and insects to eat.
4. Don’t pollute.
5. Be a responsible pet owner.
6. Conserve water at home, school, and work.
7. Reduce the use of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas.
8. Be an amphibian champion.

Growing up on a lake in Florida, we had a lot of opportunities to witness amphibian activity. During the wet season there was a solid wall of noise coming from the passionate anurans in the pastures. It was not something you would hear so much as feel. Soon, the lake edge was strung with the black beads of toad eggs. And later, we could gather pollywogs by the handful. I have to wonder what it would be like if I ever went back there.

The difference between frogs and toads might seem obvious at first. Frogs are hoppers with long legs and wet skin. Toads are walkers with dry skin. But as my herpetology professor pointed out, there are exceptions to each of these and the distinction between frogs and toads amongst the experts is not so clear. For instance, the suborder of spadefoot toads (Mesobatrachia) also includes the parsley frogs.

Recently on This Week in Science, Justin and Dr. Kiki were commenting on the recent discovery of a very large amphibian fossil in Madagascar, appropriately dubbed Beelzebufo (at approximately minute 00:23:29). They ran into this same kind of consternation.

• Amphibian Ark: Year of the Frog
• AZA: Year of the Frog
• AZA Year of the Frog Educational Activities and Resources
• How to Tell a Turtle from a Tortoise is a book that also talks about the difference between frogs and toads. Remarkable moreso because it is the first book that I have ever come across that is not available on Amazon.