Houston zoo

Frog species sprout claws on demand

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Tue Jun 24, 6:02 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least 11 species of African frogs carry a built-in concealed weapon -- they can sprout claws on demand to fight off attackers, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

When threatened, the frogs can puncture their own skin with sharp bones in their toes that they then use to claw their attackers, David Blackburn and colleagues at Harvard University reported.

"It's surprising enough to find a frog with claws," Blackburn, a graduate student, said in a statement.

"The fact that those claws work by cutting through the skin of the frogs' feet is even more astonishing. These are the only vertebrate claws known to pierce their way to functionality."

Blackburn became aware of the frogs when one scratched him in Cameroon.

He looked at museum specimens of 63 African frog species. In 11 central African species the bones at the ends of the toes were pointed and hooked, with smaller, free-floating bones at their tips.

"These nodules are also closely connected to the surrounding skin by dense networks of collagen," Blackburn said. "It appears they hold the skin in place relative to these claw-like bones, such that when the frog flexes a certain muscle in the foot, the sharp bone separates from the nodule and bursts through the skin."

While the finding is new to science, it is not news to locals. "Cameroonian hunters will use long spears or machetes to avoid touching these frogs," Blackburn said. "Some have even reported shooting the frogs."

For their part, the frogs probably use this defense rarely, Blackburn said.

"We suspect, since the frog does suffer a fairly traumatic wound, that they probably use these claws infrequently, and only when threatened," he said.

"Most vertebrates do a much better job of keeping their skeletons inside," he added.

(Reporting by Maggie Fox; Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Sandra Maler)

24-Jun-08 9:00 AM

World's Amphibians Under Assault

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

The first images that come to mind may be unassuming brown newts or garden-variety green frogs, but amphibians cover a much grander spectrum.

Among about 6,000 species of frogs, salamanders and caecilians (legless animals, pronounced like "Sicilians") are some of the world's most bizarre animals: Giant Chinese salamanders, two meters (6 feet) in length; the "hairy frog" of Cameroon, which not only looks like it sports hair, but also can break its own bones to grow claws (an ability discovered just last month); the Surinam toad, which carries its eggs embedded in its back; and, even more macabre, the Sagalla caecilian, which feeds its own skin to its young.

Amphibians are also among the most colorful animals: The tiny, bright-yellow poison frog (with the spectacular scientific name Phyllobates terriblis) from Colombia, which is, gram for gram, the most poisonous vertebrate in the world; the black-dotted yellow frogs of Panama, which communicate with adorable hand waves; and the charismatic red-eyed tree frogs, aptly nicknamed "swimsuit calendar frogs."

These make up just a small sample of the amazingly diverse amphibians, which have the longest history on earth. They predate all other terrestrial vertebrates.

Yet the first group of animals to colonize the land is also the first that humans are driving off it. Amphibians are disappearing faster than any other animals since the dinosaurs: 32 per cent of all species are threatened with extinction, compared with 23 per cent of mammals and 12 per cent of birds. Almost half are in decline.

(story continues below)

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The reasons are complex and vary among species. Some are hunted for the pet trade or, as with the Chinese salamander, for their meat. The destruction of habitat, as with all animals, is a major cause worldwide. Pollution also appears to be a big factor.

One of the most worrisome and headline-grabbing causes is a strange fungus: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a.k.a. chytrid. Nobody quite knows how it kills amphibians - it may smother them, covering the skin they use to absorb oxygen and water, or it might release toxins. Biologists are unanimous in their belief that it is wiping out amphibians across the tropics, in the warm and wet conditions in which they thrive, from Australia to South America. Scientists believe that it is behind the disappearance of 74 species (out of an original 110) of harlequin frog in Central America and at least 10 species of Australian frogs.

Bob Johnson, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Toronto Zoo, saw one of the fungus' first victims just before it vanished. The golden toad of Costa Rica was once so numerous that tourists would flock to witness their mating season. They were so dense on the forest floor, "we could barely walk, there were so many of them," Johnson says of a trip he made in 1987. Just two years later, they had all disappeared, driven into extinction. "It was just astonishing."

Now, Johnson is caring for one of the last populations of Panama golden frogs, the stars of the most recent David Attenborough BBC documentary, Life in Cold Blood. The frogs were all taken out of the wild before chytrid reached them too.

Humans may be responsible for the spread of the fungus: Scientists suspect that it came from its home in South Africa when clawed frogs were exported 50 years ago for use in pregnancy tests. (A dose of a pregnant woman's urine causes a female clawed frog to lay eggs within eight to 12 hours. The test also works on male frogs, which produce sperm in response to the injection.)

African clawed frogs are mostly resilient to chytrid, and probably carried the fungus, but frogs elsewhere have little defense. It can wipe out a species in a matter of years.

Poster Children

The reason for their vulnerability boils down to two things: They spend part of their lives in water and part on land, so they are exposed to factors in both environments; and their skin - not scaly like a reptile's, but soft, thin and permeable - renders them more sensitive to things such as ultraviolet radiation, pesticides and disease.

As the most threatened group of animals on the planet, they are not just poster children for the biodiversity crisis, they are also harbingers of things to come. Because amphibians occupy a unique and crucial place in the food chain, their extinctions will ripple through the ecosystem and catalyze the rapid disappearance of other animals, large and small.

Their young - salamander larvae and frog tadpoles - are major bottom feeders. When they grow into adults and move onto land, they bring nutrients from the water with them.

"Usually water is a trap for biomass," says McGill University zoologist David Green, one of Canada's foremost authorities on amphibian declines. Things flow from land into water easily in rain, but amphibians, which move back onto land as adults, are one of the very few things in nature that move nutrients in the reverse direction, back onto land. "That's a very important job," says Prof. Green.

Moreover, as adults, they consume huge numbers of insects, then themselves are consumed in huge numbers by larger animals, such as birds and mammals. If we take these middlemen out of the food chain, the consequences could be disastrous. Insect populations could explode, while birds and mammals may disappear.

Yet, despite their importance, conservationists are struggling to raise the funds they need to save them.

"A charismatic bird or mammal will easily draw in money, but it is hard to get funding for amphibians," says Helen Meredith, who is leading the Zoological Society of London's EDGE amphibian-conservation program.

The London Zoo is caring for and breeding a number of spectacular amphibians, including the golden poison frog, and is sponsoring projects overseas for highly endangered amphibians such as the giant Chinese salamander (hunted for its meat in China, where it is considered a delicacy) and the spectacularly ugly purple frog of India, discovered just last year.

EDGE - meaning "evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered" - has found that 85 of the most distinctive and endangered 100 amphibian species are receiving little to no conservation attention. "Amphibians have been pushed into the shadows," says Meredith.

"But in terms of conservation dollars, you can accomplish so much more than investing in any of the large 'charismatic' mammals," says Kevin Zippel, director of Amphibian Ark, a branch of the World Conservation Union, which is supporting captive breeding programs.

Breeding amphibians is comparatively simple. They are small and fairly easy to take care of. "For just $50,000 to $100,000, you can save an entire amphibian species from extinction. Compare that to the amount it costs to rent one panda for a year from China: $1 million, and that doesn't even include housing, food and staff."

Amphibian Ark is trying to raise $50 million for the captive management of 500 species. "If each of the world's largest zoos just took on one species each, we'd be done," says Zippel.

"Though we aren't saying that having these species in glass boxes is an acceptable form of conservation - it's just an option for the future," he adds.

Arks to Tombs

Unless more effort is put into restoring their wild habitats, the "arks will only become tombs," says ecologist Alan Pounds, who has been documenting the decline of golden toads and harlequin frogs in Central America since the 1980s. "We can't save the world with captive breeding. We have always thought that if we have parks and reserves, then we can do what we want with the rest of the planet - and that is not true."

He says the spread of chytrid in the mountains of Costa Rica is tied to global warming. His research, published in the journal Nature, indicates that the fungus causes more frog deaths in warmer years, when the hilltops - normally cool - become more hospitable to the fungus.

It is happening not just in the mountains of Central America: Other researchers have tied the spread of the fungus in midwife toads in Spain to a warming climate.

Chytrid occurs in many places without being lethal. McGill's Prof. Green has found it in about 13 per cent of amphibians from five Canadian provinces. "Canada would have to get warmer and wetter" for the fungus to become lethal, he says. "We may start to see that."

Even if this doesn't happen, frogs all over Canada are disappearing. Leopard frogs on the Prairies are vanishing, and nobody quite knows why. Fowler's toads may be driven out of their only range, in Southern Ontario, where they are mowed over by beach grooming machines sent to remove cigarette butts. Chorus frogs in Quebec, along with their songs, are fading because of suburban development.

The precise causes can be hard to pin down, but many studies have implicated U.V. (ultraviolet) radiation, low doses of pesticides and agricultural pollution. Most ecologists believe that it is rarely one single factor that is responsible, but the combination of threats.

Ecologist Pieter Johnson at the University of Colorado published a landmark study in 2007 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) demonstrating that the combination of fertilizer runoff in ponds and the flatworm parasite Ribeiroia ondatrae may be responsible for the high prevalence of amphibian mutations that we see all over the United States and Canada (up to 70 per cent of frogs in some wetlands grow multiple arms and legs). High levels of fertilizers in ponds spawn blooms of algae, which in turn foster an explosion in snails which carry the parasites.

Many other studies have found such "synergistic effects." Researchers from Oregon State University have shown that the combination of U.V. radiation and fertilizer pollution kills seven times more frogs than either alone.

Ecologist Rick Relyea at the University of Pittsburgh, who studies pesticides, reported in 2001 in the PNAS that subjecting tadpoles to the fear of a caged predator in their tank, combined with low levels of the pesticide carbaryl, caused grey tree frog tadpoles (found in Canada) to die when neither factor alone killed them. "Many people were shocked and amazed," he says.

He has an upcoming paper in the journal Ecological Applications that will show that combinations of low doses of pesticides - non-lethal on their own - are "highly lethal."

Prof. Relyea cautions that we cannot be sure pesticides are causing frog declines in the wild - more research is needed. "The problem is that an awful lot of effort goes into assessing the benefits of these chemicals, but not the costs." We just need to be smarter about how we use pesticides, he says, such as spraying them in minimal amounts and at times of year when amphibians are less vulnerable - for example, after the tadpoles have grown into frogs.

If pesticides are responsible for deaths in the wild, the impact could be more widespread than we realize. Ecologists from the University of Toronto reported last year that pesticides in the soils in Costa Rica were actually more concentrated higher up the mountains than lower down closer to plantations, carried aloft by breezes and deposited onto the mountaintops when mists form at high elevations.

Chemical cocktails

There is an important lesson to be learned here: Being so sensitive, amphibians are sending us a warning signal. For good reason, they are known as our canaries in the coal mine. "If we lose the amphibians, then we lose our best detection system to see what's going on with the world," says EDGE's Meredith.

Not only that, we also lose "our tools for future drug production," she says. Frogs harbor incredible cocktails of chemicals in their skin that are being investigated by medical researchers. The lethal poisons of arrow frogs may be harnessed for antibiotics, and seem to yield effective painkillers hundreds of times more powerful than morphine. The wood frog, widespread in Canada, can freeze solid and survive, and is being probed for clues to preserve frozen organs during transplant. Salamanders, which can regenerate their limbs, may some day help us to grow lost digits. And it was discovered just three years ago that certain red-eyed tree frogs produce a protein that can block HIV infection.

"On the back of some toad somewhere is the compound that will do wonders for you, but we don't know which one it is yet," says Prof. Green.

Already we have lost amphibian species to extinction that may have been able to help us. In the 1970s, scientists discovered a species of frog in Australia that gestated its eggs in its stomach, using special hormones to shut down its digestive system. It could have held the clues to treat ulcers, but it has not been seen in decades.

Before the 3,000 amphibians in decline suffer the same fate, is there anything we can do? When we are trying to fight the battle on so many fronts, is there any way to win the war?

We need to deal with every single issue at once: climate change, excessive use of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, depletion of the ozone layer and, above all, habitat degradation.

The case isn't hopeless, says Prof. Green, as long as we take action now. "We have to give amphibians some credit," he says. "They are not so vulnerable and fragile. It's just the combination of factors that they cannot cope with. They are tough as boots if you give them a chance."

Intellpuke: This article was written by Zoe Cormier, a science who lives in London, England. You can read Cormier's article in context here: www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080614.wfrogs14/BNStory/Science/home

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18-Jun-08 8:30 AM

There’s much to zoo at the Knoxville Zoo

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:00:00 GMT

KNOXVILLE – There’s much to zoo at the Knoxville Zoo

In honor of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s 2008 Year of the Frog, Knoxville Zoo has introduced “Toadally Frogs” as one of its newest exhibits.

Visitors will have the opportunity to visit a chorus of croakers in this “ribbeting” exhibit. Also new at the zoo is Bloomin’ Butterfly Gardens, where visitors can immerse themselves in a flurry of butterflies floating around the exhibit. Other natural exhibits include The Boyd Family Red Panda Village, Grasslands Africa!, The Stokely African Elephant Preserve, Meerkat Lookout, Penguin Rock, Chimp Ridge, The Pridelands, River Otters, Cheetah Savannah, Gorilla Valley and Black Bear Falls.

18-Jun-08 8:00 AM

Students rally to save frogs

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Royal Oak

Students rally to save frogs

They donate money to zoo's conservation center

Shawn D. Lewis / The Detroit News

ROYAL OAK -- Emily Joyce is fond of frogs and hopes to save them from extinction.

Her seventh-grade class at Larson Middle School in Troy recently presented a $500 check to the Detroit Zoo's National Amphibian Conservation Center.

"I really want to help save the frogs because they make the world a better place," said Emily, 13, of Troy.

The Detroit Zoo is part of a worldwide effort to breed certain amphibians in captivity to ensure their future survival. To raise awareness and stave off amphibians' extinction, conservation groups have declared 2008 the Year of the Frog.

Conservationists across the globe are concerned that frogs could face extinction in the next 100 years, due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution and pesticides, and a deadly fungus spread by frogs used for science.

Scientists estimate that one-third to one-half of the world's 6,000 frog, salamander, toad and newt species are threatened, and 120 species have already disappeared. Scientists say frogs are important bellwether species -- meaning the poor health of their populations can signal wider environmental problems. But frogs have also shown promise in medical research: Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville tested 15 species, including the northern leopard frog and the bullfrog -- both Michigan natives -- for a substance in their skin that can block viruses.

"Frogs have some secrets in their skin, and they're like a little first-aid kit," said Louise Rollins-Smith, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Rollins-Smith worked with a team of investigators studying these chemicals and reported in the Journal of Virology that compounds secreted by frog skin are potent blockers of HIV infection. The findings could lead to topical treatments for preventing its transmission.

Judy Armstrong-Hall, a Larson Middle School science teacher who co-sponsored the field trip to the zoo, educates students about the importance of conservation, and the small steps they can take to help.

Her message resonates with her student Mukund Mohan, 12.

"It's important to save the frogs because they eat insects that can carry malaria and other diseases that can destroy humans," he said.

18-Jun-08 8:00 AM

Let's hear three croaks for frogs

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:00:00 GMT

The amphibians get some love from environmental groups trying to protect them.

By BRENNA MALONEY, Washington Post

Last update: June 13, 2008 - 3:39 PM

What, you didn't know they were in trouble? One-third to one-half of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction, the conservation group Amphibian Ark says. Loss of habitat is the major threat, affecting the most species, but a disease called chytrid fungus is also proving deadly.

Frogs and toads make up one of three main groups of amphibians. There are about 3,500 known species of frogs and 300 kinds of toads. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads.

Like all amphibians, frogs and toads begin their lives in the water, breathing with gills; as adults on land, they breathe with lungs.

You are most likely to see a toad in your yard or garden; frogs prefer ponds and other still waters. Both animals must return to water to lay their eggs.

"Frogs tend to lay eggs in clumps: a single egg surrounded by other eggs, like a ball of eggs," said Matt Evans, a biologist and herpetologist (an expert in reptiles and amphibians) at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. "A lot of toads lay their eggs in a single line, so it's like a string of eggs."

A lot can be learned about frogs and toads by observing them. For example, if a toad feels threatened, it will lean forward on its front legs and pump its lungs full of air to appear larger. A frog will tend to flee, using its powerful legs to hop to safety.

Evans reveals a little-known fact about frogs and toads: "They actually use the inside of their eyes to push food down into their throats."

You can see this more clearly in frogs, Evans says: "Frogs have big eyes. You always see a frog blink when it's swallowing. The eye socket goes down into their mouth, so when they swallow, their eyes push down and help push food that's in their mouth back into their throat."

Frogs and toads generally do not use their front legs to grab food or assist them in eating. They have a long, sticky tongue that's hinged at the front of the mouth so it can rapidly flip out and capture insects. And the frog's teeth aren't used for chewing.

"They're bringing a food item in that's alive when it comes to their mouth; they have to swallow it immediately," Evans says.

If you encounter a frog or toad this summer, Evans has some advice.

"It is an age-old myth that toads cause warts. That is not true," he says.

But do beware of frogs and toads, especially if they are secreting toxins.

"If you get it on your hands and rub your eyes, it could cause some stinging and some burning," he says. "I'd say, after you handle them, just wash your hands."

Continue to next page

18-Jun-08 8:00 AM

Many kinds of frogs – including toads – face extinction

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Many kinds of frogs – including toads – face extinction

BRENNA MALONEY; The Washington Post

Published: June 10th, 2008 01:00 AM

It’s tough to be a frog these days – or a toad, for that matter: 2008 has been named the Year of the Frog by a number of environmental groups to raise awareness of the worldwide plight of amphibians.

What, you didn’t know they were in trouble? Between one-third and one-half of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction, the conservation group Amphibian Ark says. Loss of habitat is the major threat, affecting the most species, but a disease called chytrid fungus is also proving deadly.

Frogs and toads make up one of three main groups of amphibians. There are about 3,500 known species of frogs and 300 kinds of toads. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads. Determining which is which can be difficult.Matt Evans, a biologist and herpetologist at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., gave KidsPost a lesson in the basics. Here are some differences between an American toad and a bullfrog.

AMERICAN TOAD

Brown to brick-red to olive. Brownish spots, brown to orange-red warts. Belly usually spotted.

Parotid gland: Oozes poison if the toad is stressed.

Eyes: Do not bulge from the body.

Skin: Dry and warty.

Body: A bit chubby.

Legs: Short; used for walking and hopping but not jumping.

BULLFROG

The largest frog in North America. Green to yellow back with cream or white belly.

Parotid gland: None. “Frogs have skin glands that can secret toxins, but they are (generally) not as toxic as toads,” Evans says.

Eyes: Bulge from the top of the head, allowing them to see in nearly all directions.

Skin: Smooth, moist.

Body: Long, leaner than a toad’s.

Legs: Long and powerful for jumping.

Like all amphibians, frogs and toads begin their lives in the water, breathing with gills; as adults on land, they breathe with lungs.

You are most likely to see a toad in your yard or garden; frogs prefer ponds and other still waters. Both animals must return to water to lay their eggs.

Evans reveals a little-known fact about frogs and toads: “They actually use the inside of their eyes to push food down into their throats.”

Frogs and toads have a long, sticky tongue that’s hinged at the front of the mouth so it can rapidly flip out and capture insects.

If you encounter a frog or toad this summer, Evans has some advice. “It is an age-old myth that toads cause warts. That is not true,” he says. But do beware of frogs and toads, especially if they are secreting toxins. “If you get it on your hands and rub your eyes, it could cause some stinging and some burning. I’d say, after you handle them, just wash your hands.”

12-Jun-08 9:00 AM

Museum exhibition addresses amphibian death, habitat loss

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

A new Cleveland Museum of Natural History exhibition takes a closer look at amphibians, the threat of extinction they face and the role of humans in both their decline and survival. The exhibition, "Toad-ily Frogs," will be on display in the museum's Corning Gallery through Sept. 28.

Scientists have reported on the decline of amphibians for some time. But the situation is reaching crisis proportions - presently one-half to one-third of all amphibian species worldwide could become extinct within a human lifetime if present conditions continue.

To encourage positive change, the global conservation community has dubbed 2008 the "Year of the Frog." Locally, the museum, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and more than two dozen other area conservation- and science-oriented organizations have partnered on "Leap into Action," a regional initiative led by Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to highlight amphibians and their habitats through special events, activities, displays and programs.

As part of this effort, the Museum has produced the new exhibition "Toad-ily Frogs." Several Museum staff members collaborated on content and presentation, including educators Beth Gatchell, Kate Iverson and Stacey Heffernan, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology Dr. Tim Matson, Center for Conservation & Biodiversity Associate Director Renee Boronka and Biodiversity Alliance Conservation Program Coordinator Dr. Cathi Lehn.

"This exhibition will help visitors understand the global problems that face amphibians and show them how to take action to preserve amphibian habitat," Gatchell explains.

The exhibition is a stop on the Leap into Action passport, which is available for $1 plus tax in the museum store. That dollar will be matched by the Cleveland Zoological Society and go toward creating and maintaining vernal ponds for amphibians in Cleveland Metroparks. Visitors can complete a scavenger hunt that uses the exhibition and other displays throughout the museum and earn a sticker for their passport.

Other events and locations at which visitors can earn stickers, plus detailed information about amphibian conservation, are listed at www.forfrogs.org.

Museum hours, admission

"Toad-ily Frogs" is included in the Museum's admission fee, which is $9 adults; $7 ages 7 to 18, college students with IDs and seniors 60 years of age or older; and $6 children 3 to 6. Wednesday evening admission is $5 after 5 p.m. Shafran Planetarium shows are $4 per person with admission.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is at 1 Wade Oval Drive in University Circle, just 15 minutes east of downtown Cleveland. Museum hours are: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information, call 216-231-4600 or 800-317-9155, or visit the museum's Web site at www.cmnh.org.

28-May-08 3:00 PM

Froggie goes a-courtin'

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

The Budgett's frog had two fangs and screamed, so, of course, producers of the 30-second television spot touting the Frog Bog at the Newport Aquarium named it Psychofrog.

"He tries to bite you," said Greg Newberry, president of O'Bryonville-based Animal Instinct Advertising, which has launched a multimedia advertising campaign for the Newport Aquarium.

• Hear the frogs

The spot, an unusual advertisement of morphing frog images, will air on broadcast television through the summer travel season locally and in Louisville, Lexington and Dayton.

It celebrates the aquarium's Year of the Frog and promotes the new frog exhibit.

"That Budgett frog is a crazy little frog," Newberry said. "He can eat a mouse. Sometimes nothing was working, so we'd say, 'Let's get Psychofrog out here and see what he can do.' "

The distinctive advertisement is a colorful collage of dozens of exotic frogs, one morphing into another, all backed by a catchy soundtrack created from frog croaks.

The first challenge for this ad, called a Frog Metamorphosis Music Video, was to create the soundtrack from thousands of frog creaks, croaks and chirps.

Matt Hueneman at Sound Images, a downtown music production company, engineered the soundtrack, and as frog song maestro, Hueneman had to listen to a cacophony of frog sounds compiled by naturalist Lang Elliot, owner of an Ithaca, N.Y.-based studio.

Hueneman started with a drum track similar to what might be in a Bo Diddley song.

Every time a drumstick hit a percussion instrument, Hueneman found a digital substitution in croak or creak.

"Some frogs sounded like a shaker or a Cuban cabassa. A couple of frogs had a low-end bass note. That was a great substitute for a bass drum," Hueneman said. "We let the frogs do most of the playing."

Bob Nyswonger, a former bass player for the Psychodots, the Raisins and the Bears, and Randy Villars, saxophonist in the BlueBirds Big Band, rounded out the tune.

Mark Cretcher, editor at CommandX Digital Media, an O'Bryonville ad production agency, aligned the song with the images - an exercise in creative but complicated tedium.

Each frog used in the ad had to be put in the same place on a Plexiglas panel so it could easily blend into the next. Then, to prevent the spread of disease, the panel had to be washed before another frog could be placed on it.

Some frogs were asked to jump, but didn't oblige. Some were ordered to move, but instead just sat there.

"Sometimes you just had to wait them out," said Newberry.

28-May-08 3:00 PM

Biologists turn to captivity to try to save Panama's golden frog from deadly fungus

noemail@Houstonzoofrogs.org — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:00:00 GMT

EL VALLE DE ANTON, Panama: The golden frog is a symbol of Panama — revered by indigenous cultures in the past and the lucky emblem on lottery tickets today.

Now threatened by a lethal fungus that has killed other species, the national treasure may be facing life in captivity. A pair of biologists have decided that plucking the frogs from the cloud forests and putting them in quarantine is the only way to save them.

Their goal is to eventually return the frogs to the wild, but these scientists cannot predict if or when the fungus will disappear.

"It's sad to seem them in tanks," said Heidi Ross, 31, of Park Falls, Wisconsin. "They're so perfect. They're like our children."

The chytrid fungus, which thrives in highland streams, attacks the frogs' skin through which they breathe, eventually suffocating them. Scientists reported its appearance in Panama's El Cope forest in 2004 and two years later in the Valley of Anton. It made its way south from Costa Rica, where it wiped out several frog species.

Ross and her husband, Panamanian biologist Edgardo Griffith, opened the Amphibian Conservation Center two years ago in the Nispero Zoo in the Valley of Anton, a region popular with tourists and foreigners buying vacation homes. Financed in part by the Houston Zoo, the US$300,000 (€193,050) center houses 500 amphibians representing up to 50 species.

The stars are the golden frogs — actually orange or yellow with black spots — whose scientific name is atelopus zeteki.

Of the 62 frog species that lived in the Valley of Anton years ago, only about 10 are left, Griffith said. Golden frogs were once so abundant they were commonly found in residential gardens. Now it can take days to find one in the wild, and Griffith fears they will completely disappear within a few years.

He and another Panamanian biologist, Roberto Ibanez, started trying to save the golden frogs in 2000, carrying out a field study and sending groups of the frogs for breeding experiments in zoos in Baltimore, Detroit and Cleveland.

The Houston Zoo eventually asked Griffith to direct its amphibian conservation and breeding efforts in Panama. Ross, meanwhile, arrived in Panama as a Peace Corps volunteer working on sustainable agriculture and eventually joined the golden frog initiative.

Pre-Columbian Indians created golden and mud figurines of the frogs known as "guacas." Legend had it that golden frogs turned into guacas when they died and brought luck and fertility. Today, replicas abound in Panama's artisan shops. A national symbol, the frogs also can be seen enjoying a beer or chatting on the phone in advertisements.

In the amphibian center, the real things are housed in tanks with wild plants and temperatures comparable to their habitat. There were also a group of tadpoles born this month in the center's second breeding project.

The frogs are quarantined while they are cured of the fungus and parasites, but eventually will be on public display.

Within a few years, that may be the only way to see a golden frog. Scientists have ruled out using pesticides to destroy the chytrid fungus for fear of killing other types that are beneficial to the environment.

"The only way for the golden frog to survive on the planet may be in captivity," Griffith said. "They'd lose part of their charm, part of their value as a species."

_____

En la Internet:

http://www.houstonzoo.org

http://www.zoonewengland.com

http://www.ranadorada.org

5-May-08 2:00 PM

Houston zoo

Frog species sprout claws on demand

World's Amphibians Under Assault

There’s much to zoo at the Knoxville Zoo

Students rally to save frogs

Royal Oak

Students rally to save frogs

They donate money to zoo's conservation center

Shawn D. Lewis / The Detroit News

Let's hear three croaks for frogs

Many kinds of frogs – including toads – face extinction

Museum exhibition addresses amphibian death, habitat loss

Froggie goes a-courtin'

Biologists turn to captivity to try to save Panama's golden frog from deadly fungus

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