Wild Facts

Photo by Hoffryan (Wikimedia)

It may have took awhile to get today’s Wild Fact out, due to computer issues, however, better late than never. I promise it was worth the wait as we are heading to the ocean today to study a critically endangered sea turtle known as the Hawksbill Turtle. This particular turtle can be found throughout tropical areas in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, so you get to choose which area you want to explore. As well, you won’t need to go too deep since the Hawksbill Turtle prefers living along the coastlines where they are close to food and nesting sites.

One Big Heart

The Hawksbill Turtle is smaller than most other sea turtles as they only grow to about 114 cm (45″) in length and weigh up to 68 kg (150 lbs). I find it funny that a 150 lb turtle is considered to be the runt of the family. The young Hawksbill Turtles seem to have more ‘heart” compared to the adults. The juvenile turtles have a heart shaped shell, which becomes elongated as they grow older. Similarly, the shell of this particular turtle tends to be beautifully coloured, which tends to get this turtle into quite a bit of trouble.

Photo by Tom Doeppner (Wikimedia)

Adopt a Turtle

As mentioned, the Hawksbill Turtle is critically endangered as a result of human influence. Although they are globally protected, people still love dining on their eggs and have no problems hunting this turtle for their flesh and amazingly beautiful shell. Similarly, the Hawksbill Turtle is also a victim to fishing as they are often accidentally caught in large fishing nets. Luckily, this turtle is getting some attention as the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) is working hard to ensure that this beautiful creature lives for a long time to come. If you would like to help out with this cause then please feel free to visit the “Adopt a Turtle” website.

The Talons of a Hawk

If you take a look at the head of the Hawksbill Turtle, you will quickly see how they received their name. Yes, their head tapers to a point, which resembles the beak of a majestic bird. Besides the beak, this Turtle also has talons like a Hawk. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit since I don’t think a pair of claws on each flipper would really constitute  as “talons” but these claws do separate the Hawksbill Turtle from most other sea turtles.

That does it for today’s adventure. Enjoy the remainder of your day and I will see you tomorrow for a new animal fact.

Photo by Hugo Claessen (Wikimedia)

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of Wild Facts. We started the week talking about amphibians and for some reason, it looks like we are heading back to the frog world one more time this week. I would like to thank one of our faithful readers, kanjiruminamoto, for suggesting the Surinam Toad. In a few minutes, you will all be thankful that he recommended this incredible amphibian. The Surinam Toad is found in swamps and marshes throughout much of South America including Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia and of course the wonderful Ecuador. Well, let’s take a minute to find out what makes this particular amphibian so interesting!

Is This Frog Dead?

For starters, this is another frog species that likes to confuse people by being named after a toad. This seems to be a common occurrence though so it really isn’t a big deal. If you ever get to see the Surinam Toad, you will probably think that it is dead. Don’t worry, there is a very good chance they are just hunting. This frog spends a good chunk of their time sitting on the floor of slow moving rivers and streams where they are just waiting to ambush any small fish, insect or worm that happens to cross its path. As the unsuspecting prey passes by the Surinam Toad will either scoop it into their mouth using their unique hands or just simply chomp at them.

The Hands of a Star

Now that I mentioned their unique hands, I guess I should let you in on the secret. This particular frog is also known as the Star-Fingered Toad, which obviously relates to the shape of their fingers. Yes, the front toes have small star-like appendages while their back toes are simply webbed.  So all of this is fascinating but we haven’t even touched the most bizarre feature of the Surinam Toad. This little amphibian is well known for their unusual reproductive strategy.

Photo by Stan Shebs (Wikimedia)

The Most Unusual Reproduction Strategy

Are you sitting down for this? Well, during reproduction the female will release 3-10 eggs which become embedded in her skin on her back. Yes, you read that right! Over the next several days, the eggs will sink into the skin and form little pockets, which gives the female a nice honeycomb look. The larvae will then develop through the tadpole stage in their nice little honeycomb pockets only to emerge as tiny little frogs. Once they emerge from their mothers back, the new-born frogs go on their way and live their solitary life. I told you the Surinam Toad was one interesting amphibian. Now are you happy that kanjiruminamoto recommended this unusual creature for us to learn about today?

Well I hope you enjoyed todays Wild Fact. I will see you back here tomorrow for the final fact of the week.

Photo by Steve Robie

After spending yesterday looking at the beautifully coloured Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad, today’s amphibian may seem to be a little boring but I promise you will enjoy the Dwarf Waterdog despite their lack of fashion flare. That’s right folks! Today we are heading to the United States to learn about a medium-sized (or small-sized, depending how you look at it) salamander that is endemic to the USA. You are probably going to get wet on this trip so you may want to bring your rubber boots and a change a clothes.

The Dwarf Waterdog is a fully aquatic salamander that loves hanging out in slow-moving streams filled with sand and leaves, however, they will live in clear, fast-moving streams as well. Throughout their home range, there are plenty of deep irrigation ditches that provide the perfect slow-moving habitat for our amphibian friend. Interestingly enough, the Dwarf Waterdog is most active during the winter months, which is definitely different than my behaviour. Similarly, these salamanders tend to be nocturnal, so it may be a challenge to find a few specimens for us to study.

Photo by Steve Roble

Okay, so why are they called Dwarf Waterdogs? How small are they? Well, their average length is about 19 cm (7.5″), which doesn’t seem dwarf-like to me. I know plenty of other salamanders that are much smaller than this but weren’t tagged with the dwarf pre-fix, so what gives? Unfortunately, our Waterdog friend here is being compared to other members of its family, Proteidae, which tend to be much larger – about 3 times larger than the Dwarf Waterdog. I guess they are just the runt of the family but I have always found the runt to be just as important as every other member.

Dwarf Waterdog Fast Facts – The Dwarf Waterdog has four-toed feet, a set of large, red, feathery gills and of course the ever-popular flattened tail. Obviously, all of these features allow our amphibian friend to spend the majority of their time in slow (or apparently fast) moving water.

Well, that just about does it for our trip to the United States of America. I hope all of you enjoyed playing around in the streams today and will join me tomorrow for another animal fact. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Photo from Wikimedia

Welcome back to another fun-filled week of Wild Facts. I hope you enjoyed your weekend and managed to get some rest, since we are heading to the other side of the world to look for the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad, which exists in Korea, China and Russia. Similarly, we have managed to introduce this species to Beijing so that is a possible travel destination as well. One of the main lessons you should get out of today’s animal fact is that you really can’t judge a book by its cover. If you want to find out why, we will need to board our plane for Asia. So what are you waiting for?

So why can’t we judge a book by its cover? Well for starters, this toad species, isn’t actually a toad! Nope, they have bumpy skin like a common toad, however, they are actually a frog. Similarly, from above the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad looks like a normal green frog with black spots, which is great for blending into their environment. The minute they perceive danger though, this frog will reveal their true colours. As a predator moves in the Fire-Bellied Toad will arch their back, and sometimes completely flip over, showing their bright red belly. Obviously, this bright colouration signals danger to the predator letting them know there is a good chance they will die if they try eating our froggy friend. See, what looked like a tasty snack turned out to be a possible deadly encounter!

Photo by Steven G. Johnson (Wikimedia)

So is the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad bluffing or do they actually have a poison? This is the decision you would need to make if you are a predator and you better choose wisely since this particular “toad” isn’t bluffing. They will secrete a milky toxin from their skin, which is typically emitted from their legs or belly. Although, they are not the most toxic frog in the world, it is bad enough that I wouldn’t recommend eating them.

Are they harmful to humans? If ingested, the poison will cause some discomfort but for the most part, it won’t hurt humans too badly. Probably a good thing to know since the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad is very popular in the pet trade. If you happen to own one then I highly recommend not handling it too much and make sure it is isolated from other frogs and toads. You don’t want them to be exposed to a poison all day long, right?

Well that does it for our first fact of the week. Enjoy the rest of your day and I will see you tomorrow.

Photo by Ryan Somma (Wikimedia)

All week, we have been scouring the earth for the Worlds Smallest animals. Today, I thought we would mix it up a bit and go in the complete opposite direction. What do you mean we can’t do that? Sure, we can! I promise you will love the Goliath Frog, which just happens to be the Worlds Largest Frog. Unfortunately the population of this giant frog species are declining so if we want to catch a glimpse of them we had better hurry up and book our flight to Cameroon. Got your ticket? Let’s go!

Before we head out to the sandy-bottomed, fast-flowing rivers to look for the Goliath Frog, we should probably figure out what they look like, right? Well, for starters they are probably the only frog you will see that is about 33 cm (13″) long and weighs up to 3 kg (8 lbs). Yep, this frog is actually over a foot long, which is impressive considering I have seen dogs that are smaller than this. Other than their size, you should be able to spot a Goliath Frog by their triangle-shaped head and blunt snout. Typically, the Goliath Frog ranges in colour from dark grey to brownish-green and has tiny little bumps all over them.

Now that we know what they look like, let’s find out why they are disappearing.

Distribution Map - Photo by Christian Fischer (Wikimedia)

Yes, like most other animals with declining populations, the Goliath Frog is helpless against an even larger predator, humans. People are constantly hunting this incredibly large frog. Why? Well, they are either used as a food source in various parts of western Africa or the Goliath Frog is sold to the pet trade. And in some extreme cases, this giant frog is used in frog races. You read that right! They actually have frog races with the unwilling participants being our endangered friends. If this wasn’t enough to destroy the population then the fact that we are clearing the forests around their river-bed homes will definitely push this species to the brink of extinction. When will we learn that our actions always have consequences?

Well, that does it for another week of Wild Facts. I had a lot of fun writing about some of the Worlds Smallest animals (and today’s Largest Frog) and I hope you enjoyed reading them. Have a great weekend and I will see you on Holiday Monday (it is Thanksgiving weekend for us Canadians!).

Photo from Wikimedia

Well I hope you had a nice relaxing weekend because it is time to get back to work but don’t worry it will be fun work. We are going to start the week off by tromping around in the ponds of Southeast USA. Why do we want to play in these ponds? To learn more about the interesting Pig Frog of course! If you are not a fan of this name then you can also choose to call them the Lagoon Frog or the Southern Bullfrog if you prefer. Just be careful when identifying these frogs as they are easily mistaken for other species including the popular Bullfrog.

With that said, let’s figure out what the Pig Frog actually looks like. After all, we don’t want to be learning about the wrong species, do we? This particular frog looks fairly common with their green or grey-green colouring and brown (or black) blotching but don’t worry, there are a few things that will help us properly ID them. The first thing you may notice about these frogs are their large tympanic membranes, which are simply those round discs by their eyes. Yes, it is pretty much their ears. The interesting thing about these “ears” is the fact that it will also help us distinguish between the males and females. You see, the male Pig Frogs have large tympanic membranes, maybe even twice the size of their eyes. On the other hand, the females “ears” are about the same size as her eyes. So keep a close eye on this distinguishing feature.

Pig Frog Distribution Map

Finding this frog may depend on where you are looking. I know that seems like an obvious statement but let me expand on that. The Pig Frog is often hunted for their legs. I have never tried frog legs but they must be somewhat good if they are that popular. Anyway, in areas where these frogs are regularly hunted they will be nervous of humans and may be difficult to spot. Although, if you can find a spot where they feel safe then they are fairly docile and easily approached. Since we are talking about locations, I should also mention that the Pig Frog has been introduced to China, Bahamas and Puerto Rico. Of course, I don’t think introducing species into their non-native range is a good thing but at least the Pig Frog had a chance to see some other parts of the world.

I hope you enjoyed our trip to the Southern USA but it is time we pack up and get ready for our next adventure. Make sure you stop by tomorrow to get the details of our next trip.

Photo by Scott Camazine (web.mac.com/camazine)

Before we get into today’s Wild Fact, I have to take a quick second to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful niece, Taylor, who is turning an incredible 7 years old today. Have a great day, Tay and enjoy your party at Jungle Cat World this weekend. It appears that the love for animals runs in the family, doesn’t it?

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled Wild Fact…..

Now I know you are all sad because it is Friday and that means you will have to wait 2 days before you get to read another Wild Fact but please try to hold back the tears long enough to read the last fact of the week. We have a very special Wild Fact today as the animal was suggested by my friend, King Somerset (yes, I have royal friends…..so this is an inside joke but I do appreciate his animal suggestion). The great King recommended we learn about the beautiful Spotted Salamander, which can be found throughout Eastern United States and Canada.

Although the Spotted Salamander is quite abundant in Canada and the United States, I bet many people have gone their entire lives without ever getting the opportunity to spot one of these brightly coloured salamanders. No, it isn’t just because people are not very observant but instead the Spotted Salamander lives a very secret life. They spend the majority of their life hiding under rocks, logs or squatting in the burrows of other animals. Personally, I think with all of this secrecy, this salamander species is up to something so we had better keep a close eye on them.

These sneaky little salamanders usually venture away from their hiding place at night in search of some scrumptious dinner. If you don’t feel like staying up late to catch a glimpse of these beautifully coloured salamanders then your best chance would be after a heavy rain. The Spotted Salamander will actually travel long distances over land after a nice heavy rainfall in order to find a mate and to lay their eggs in the perfect pond. This is definitely your best chance to see these wonderful creatures.

Photo from Wikimedia

If you do spot one of these amphibians, I guarantee you will be amazed by their vibrant colours. Typically, they have a bluish-black body with two rows of yellow or orange spots. Their cool colouring may entice you to pick them up and play with them but you should be warned that the Spotted Salamander is capable of secreting a horrible, milky toxin from glands on their backs and tails. This is obviously used to convince predators not to eat them. You should be fine…..as long as you don’t try eating them!

Spotted Salamander Fast Fact – In the wild, the Spotted Salamander has been known to live up to 20 years, which is pretty incredible for a small amphibian like this.

Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s Wild Fact and if you see King Somerset (well, I guess he is technically a Duke but that is all the same to me) make sure you thank him for suggesting such a great animal. Enjoy your weekend and I will see you on Monday.

Photo by Piat Spaans

It is easy to tell that summer is finally here with the temperatures being in the 30′s (for my American friends – that is in degrees Celsius…not Fahrenheit) so I figured we would beat the heat and take a nice dip in the pool.  Okay, so maybe the Pool Frog isn’t actually found in swimming pools but you never know with a name like that, right? Unfortunately, only our European and Scandinavian readers will be able to confirm this for us.  That’s right, the Northern Pool Frog (another name for this amphibian) is found in parts of Britain, Sweden and Norway.

If you are living in Britain then you may have a difficult time finding one of these medium sized frogs since they are considered to be Britain’s rarest amphibian.  In fact, it was believed that the Pool Frog had actually gone extinct in their native habitat during the 1990′s.  Luckily some re-introduction programs have been working with the Government to get this frog back in its natural environment.  So what is it’s natural environment? Swimming pools!  Okay, okay…the Northern Pool Frog is actually found in natural ponds in forested areas.  Unfortunately, these natural ponds are being in-filled in order for more development to occur. If this keeps up the Northern Pool Frog may actually have to start living in swimming pools.

Photo by M. Betley (Wikimedia)

You ever wonder what the Pool Frog looks like? I figure we better go over this so you are ready….just in case you get to see one of these rare creatures.  As I mentioned earlier, they are a medium-sized frog that has a boring brow to brownish-green colour. Although, they do have some black spots so that makes them interesting, right? The main things to look for when trying to identify a Pool Frog is the incredibly pointed head as well as the two lightly coloured “racing” stripes running down the side of their back.  Other than that, they are pretty much like any other frog, you know, they have webbed feet, like to swim, eat invertebrates and the other usual frog stuff.  Oh and they do an awesome rendition of “It’s Not Easy Being Green” but again that is normal frog behaviour, isn’t it?

Pool Frog Fast Fact – At one point in time, it was thought that the Pool Frog wasn’t actually native to Britain due to the fact that so many similar species had already been introduced to the area.  Researchers being the curious folks they are did some studies and found out that the Northern Pool Frog is indeed native to Britain.  How long they remain there is a completely different story!

Well that does it for today’s Wild Fact.  I hope you enjoyed it and I will see you back here tomorrow!

Photo by Patrick Coin (Wikimedia)

It looks like we made it to another Friday Wild Fact. To celebrate the Friday before a long weekend we are going to look at one of North America’s smallest vertebrates.  What?  I like to celebrate long weekends by talking about interesting animals, don’t you?  As you have probably figured out by now, I am talking about the Northern Cricket Frog.  This particular tree frog is native to the United States and northeastern Mexico. So who is up for a nice, relaxing trip to Mexico to study a tree frog that looks like a toad and doesn’t actually live in trees?

That’s right, although the Northern Cricket Frog is technically a tree frog, they don’t seem to spend much time hanging out among the branches and leaves of the trees.  Instead, you will typically find these frogs chilling out by slow moving waterbodies.  Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to hang out by a nice little creek?  When it comes time for hibernation, these little frogs will make their way upland and get far away from their summer cottages around the water.

Photo from Wikimedia

I seriously think the Northern Cricket Frog is having an identity crisis. We know they are a tree frog that doesn’t spend much time in the trees.  They happen to look like a toad with all of the warts; however, we know they are actually frogs since they are missing the large parotoid gland behind each eye, which is a common trait for our favourite toad species. If this wasn’t bad enough, they make an interesting “clicking” noise which sounds identical to many marsh birds.  Talk about an animal that needs to spend some time figuring themselves out.

Northern Cricket Frog Fast Fact – Okay, so I mentioned that this particular frog is one of the smallest vertebrates in North America.  What kind of Wild Fact would this be if it didn’t tell you how small they are?  Well these little froggy’s range in length from 19 to 38 mm (that is only 0.75 to 1.5 inches).  When you think about it, that is a pretty small frog!  They may be tough to see so make sure you are on the lookout when you are having your picnic by that nice babbling brook.

So there we go – another week of Wild Facts is in the books.  Enjoy your long weekend and if you are bored on Monday, make sure you stop by for a brand new Wild Fact!

Photo by Takwish (Wikimedia)

Considering I spent most of yesterday thinking it was Monday….I am really surprised that it is already Wednesday.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a pleasant surprise but I still can’t believe it.  Since I feel like I have had my head buried in the sand lately, I figured we should learn about an animal that actually buries their head in the sand.  Actually, they bury their entire body but my point still applies.  Of course, I am talking about a little amphibian called the Spadefoot Toad.  Any guesses why it is called the Spadefoot? Come on, I am sure you know this one.

Well of course, the Spadefoot Toad has family members that actually have a little spade-like projection on the side of their hind legs.  Naturally they use this tiny shovel to help dig their burrows.  Oh and they use it to make the biggest and best sand castles when they are relaxing on the beach.

Okay, so let’s back up a little and talk about the types of Spadefoot Toads that exist on our wonderful planet.  There are basically two main types which are pretty easy to tell apart.  First you have the ones that live in North America and then you have the other ones that live in Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa.  So when you see a cool looking Spadefoot Toad, just ask yourself when you are standing and you will instantly be able to tell if it is the American or the European Spadefoot that you are looking at.

European Spadefoot - Photo by Franco Andreone (Wikimedia)

Truth be told, no matter what continent you are on, you probably won’t see too many of these toads.  As we alluded to earlier, these toads spend the majority of their time underground.  In fact, they are capable of spending weeks at a time in their sweet, underground home.  Normally, they will come to the surface during the evening after it rains so they can find a scrumptious meal or two.  When they make this road trip to the surface they are specifically looking for large invertebrates like snails, grasshoppers or caterpillars.  Although, when they are young they prefer to feed on vegetation (probably a lot easier to catch than a grasshopper).

Well, I think we have dug up a enough facts on the Spadefoot Toad so let’s call it a day.  Will I see you tomorrow?