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Archives for April 2014

Get Creative For Frogs’ Sake!

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FrogletIn a change to our normal timetable this weeks Croaking Science has been replaced by this croak about Save the Frogs Day.  Croaking Science will be back on 14th May.

We are joining an international community coming together on Saturday 26th April to celebrate Save the Frogs Day!  A day dedicated to raising awareness about the plight of the world’s amphibian species: frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians. You can become part of worldwide efforts to help save our incredible amphibian friends by joining us at the WWT London Wetland Centre, London and Kelvingrove Park & Museum, Glasgow for interactive demonstrations, crafts and pond dipping.  These events form part of Froglife’s Dragon Finder Projects in London and Scotland which are funded by Heritage Lottery Fund grants, of £472,500  and £422,400 respectively.

Data compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) revealed that of the approximately 7000 amphibian species found around the world nearly a third were threatened with extinction, and more recent evidence suggests that this may have increased to 41%. More shockingly still, since 1980 nearly 200 species of amphibian have already become extinct! Save the Frogs Day aims to improve the prospects of our froggy friends by raising awareness of this dramatic decline and to inspire people into action to help conserve this amazingly diverse group of animals.

STFD logoSave the Frogs Day was founded in 2008 by American ecologist Dr Kerry Kriger who was alarmed by the lack of public awareness in regards to amphibian decline. The Save the Frogs website quotes Kriger saying “Our vision is a world in which not a single amphibian species is threatened with extinction” he adds, “When we save the frogs, we’re protecting all our wildlife, all our ecosystems and all humans” a sentiment that we at Froglife agree with.

Amphibians have permeable skin which makes them highly susceptible to changes in their environment. Their absence from a habitat can be an indicator of an unhealthy ecosystem, and can highlight the impact of pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change. The disappearance of amphibians affects the entire food web. It can cause a decline in the abundance of amphibian predators, and an explosion in prey species usually eaten by amphibians – including pest insects that feed on crops, and spread harmful diseases such as malaria. Humans also have a personal stake in amphibian survival. Incredibly, 10% of all Nobel Prizes in Physiology and Medicine have been awarded to research which involved amphibians, research which has led to a cure for peptic ulcers and many other medical advancements.

Model FrogsWhat you can do

So hop to it, and help Froglife spread the conservation message by joining us at one of two events running on Saturday the 26th of April. In London, we are hosting a range of activities including ‘decorate a frog’ at the WWT London Wetland Centre from 10am. Paint a frog to look like your favourite UK or tropical species, or let your imagination run wild and conjure up a whole new species altogether! Alternatively, join us at the Kelvingrove Park and Museum in Glasgow where you can get up close and personal with amphibians and their friends by attending one of our pond dipping sessions and other froggy activities from 2pm. At both events Froglife staff will be on hand to answer any questions you may have, demonstrate the Dragon Finder App to help you record your sightings and tell you more about the work of Froglife and how you can get involved. To find out more visit our website

 

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Natterchat Spring / Summer 2014 – The wildlife health and disease issue

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NatterchatWe’re pleased to the present the latest issue of Natterchat our bi-annual newsletter.  This issue focuses on wildlife health and disease.  We hear from Froglife’s founder Tom Langton on the discovery of Ranavirus in the 1980s, and discuss a new research project looking into disease in amphibians, reptiles, garden birds and hedgehogs.  Find out more about the latest research and policies relating to wildlife health as well as other news.

Natterchat: Spring/Summer 2014

Froglife’s CEO, Kathy Wormald, says “Writing the introduction for the Spring edition of Natterchat is always a great pleasure.  As the weather perks up, the wildlife wakes up and we also start to feel invigorated.  Whilst out walking Grezley (the office Airedale) people give us a cheerie greeting rather than the usual Winter grunt.”

“Whilst you are out enjoying the glorious Spring weather and wonderful wildlife, please do remember to send on your data, made even easier by our free Dragon Finder App”

“Here’s to a wonderful Spring and Summer!”

What you can do:

Croaking Science: The Common Salamander (Salamandra salamandra) and its myths.

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Croaking science is a new way for student volunteers and scientist to explore what’s occurring in the world of Science. Croaking Science looks at science facts, new research or old debates which are inspired by or affect amphibians and reptiles, and then communicates this in layman’s language to a wider audience. The aim of the feature is to provide a platform for those starting their foray into the world of science communications as well as established scientists. We welcome any submissions from students and scientists. Please note that the views expressed in the articles are not those of the Froglife Trust.

New Croaking Sceince reporter Rhiannon Laubach looks at a relative of our newt species, the Common Salamander, and discusses its place in our myths and legends

The common salamander, or the fire salamander, is an amphibian, and is the largest member of the Salamandridae family. They usually range between 15 to 25cm in length while some can be greater than 30cm. They are a dramatic-looking amphibian having a black body with yellow or orange markings. This species (and its sub species) is found over most of Europe (an introduced species in Britain) but is threatened throughout its range.

Salamanders are commonly found in shaded areas in woods where they can hide under logs and in crevices. They are mostly active at night and hibernate throughout the winter. In captivity, they have been recorded as living up to 20 years of age. Salamanders often stay in a ‘home range’ and regularly return to the same spot each year to hibernate.

The salamander has two defences against predators. They secrete a neurotoxin from glands along their back, and this toxin can be sprayed at predators. The second defence is its bold black and yellow colouring, which acts as a warning to predators. The salamander’s diet consists of a mix of different invertebrate such as earthworms, slugs and beetles (Sydlowski 2000).

Salamanders reproduce on land. The fertilised eggs develop in the female for between 5 and 9 months (depending on the subspecies).Over a number of days the females give birth to between 5 and 60 hatched larvae in shallow bodies of water. Larvae will often cannibalise each other as well as hunting other prey (Clare, 2002).

Salamanders have always intrigued humans. Pliny the Elder (A first century Roman writer) describes it as “an animal like a lizard in shape with a body starred all over: it never comes out except during heavy showers and disappears the moment the weather becomes clear.” Another myth he recorded about the salamander is that the salamander can poison all the fruit on a tree by climbing over it. A different myth about the salamander is recorded in the medieval ‘Aberdeen Beastery’. It states that they can live in fire or can, alternatively, put a fire out. This could be because of the vivid colourations of the salamander. But possibly, if a salamander had hibernated inside wet, rotten logs and as these logs were put on the fire the salamanders had woken up and run away, this would give rise to the myth. These myths were accompanied by stylised images of the salamander where they look similar to serpents (Etheridge).

ARKive species - Common fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra)

References:


• Etheridge K., Reptiles and Amphibians in Art and Science Loathsome Beasts. Last accessed 7th Jan 2014.

• Clare, J. (2002). Salamandra: Fire and Alpine Salamanders. Available: Last accessed 7th Jan 2014.

• Sydlowski, R. (2000). “Salamandra salamandra” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 09, 2014

 

 

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