iFrog™ - Expand Your Awareness

Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois

ScienceDaily: Frog and Reptile News — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:15:15 +0000

A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The finding matches reports of rattlesnake deaths in the northeast...

Loneliest frog in the world is the last of his kind

ifrog boss — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:26:39 +0000

There were believed to be just two Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frogs left on Earth after a fungus killed off their species in the wild. A Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frog is the loneliest little amphibian in the world after the only other one of his kind croaked it. There were believed to be just two left on Earth [...]

A new, beautifully colored lizard discovered in the Peruvian Andes

ScienceDaily: Frog and Reptile News — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:55:55 +0000

Researchers in Peru have discovered a new species of a beautifully-colored lizard, living in the mountainous regions of the country. The new species was named Potamites montanicola, or "mountain dweller" for its exclusive mountain distribution.

Researchers fight time to save ‘secretive’ alpine frog

ifrog boss — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:19:55 +0000

FIFTEEN tadpoles hatched since Christmas might not sound exciting. But for those who know about the plight of the Baw Baw frog, it is a big deal. The alpine amphibian is among the state’s most endangered species. Researchers fighting to save it admit they know little about the secretive, underground-dwelling frog. But thanks to a precious egg [...]

Tiny chameleons discovered in Madagascar: Small enough to stand on the tip of a finger

ScienceDaily: Frog and Reptile News — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:30:30 +0000

Four new species of miniaturized lizards have been identified in Madagascar. These lizards, just tens of millimeters from head to tail and in some cases small enough to stand on the head of a match, rank among the smallest reptiles in the world.

The mini-meleon is one of the smallest reptiles on the planet

ifrog boss — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:15:27 +0000

Now, I usually don’t feature reptiles on iFrog. But this had to be talked about. His species is renowned for its ability to blend in, but this tiny critter is even better than most as the world’s smallest chameleon. Balanced on the tip of a scientist’s fingernail in Madagascar, the-three centimetre reptile is no bigger than [...]

The power of estrogen: Male snakes attract other males

ScienceDaily: Frog and Reptile News — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:13:13 +0000

A new study has shown that boosting the estrogen levels of male garter snakes causes them to secrete the same pheromones that females use to attract suitors, and turned the males into just about the sexiest snake in the neighborhood -- attracting dozen...

Caribbean lizards settle ‘founder effect’ controversy

ScienceDaily: Frog and Reptile News — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:11:11 +0000

In the first experimental study of the founder effect in a natural setting, researchers found that natural selection does not overwhelm the founder effect.

Castaway lizards provide insight into elusive evolutionary process, founder effects

ScienceDaily: Frog and Reptile News — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:11:11 +0000

A biologist who released lizards on tiny uninhabited islands in the Bahamas has shed light on the interaction between evolutionary processes that are seldom observed. He found that the lizards' genetic and morphological traits were determined by both n...

First Airborne Amphibian Pheromone

ifrog boss — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:20:26 +0000

Anybody who spends time near a swamp can easily hear that frogs use their voices to chitchat, but it wasn’t until about two decades ago that researchers announced that these animals also converse with water-transported protein pheromones. Now new research shows frogs banter with airborne chemicals too. “It’s the first proof that frogs use volatile pheromones” [...]

Once-Abundant Sierra Nevada Frogs May Be Deemed Endangered

ifrog boss — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:10:14 +0000

They used to be the most abundant amphibians in the Sierra Nevada, so common that hikers had to take care to avoid squashing them in creek and lake shorelines in warmer months. But now, hibernating deep beneath ice and snow, mountain yellow-legged frogs are spiraling toward extinction, scientists say. The population of the small, garlic-scented frogs [...]

19,232 new species discovered in 2009 latest report shows

ifrog boss — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:11 +0000

The annual State of Observed Species report for 2011 has been released by the International Institute for Species Exploration. Highlighted in the report are the latest compilation figures for new wildlife species. The latest full calendar year available, 2009, showed that 19,232 species were either newly discovered or rediscovered. Insects leading the pack of newly discovered species. Once [...]

Social Networking Could Help Save Amphibians

ifrog boss — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:36:01 +0000

You’ve surely heard how tweeting has connected birders through the social media site Twitter. Well, champions of amphibians are linking up the same way. These creatures are disappearing at alarming rates around the globe, from salamanders losing their forest habitat in Central America to frog populations worldwide threatened by a deadly fungus called chytrid. About [...]

Turtles’ mating habits protect against effects of climate change

ScienceDaily: Frog and Reptile News — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:01:01 +0000

The mating habits of marine turtles may help to protect them against the effects of climate change. The study shows how the mating patterns of a population of endangered green turtles may be helping them deal with the fact that global warming is leadin...

Efforts to save amphibians

ifrog boss — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:18:49 +0000

International efforts to save amphibious species from threats of extinction are ready to take a leap forward, University of Otago scientist Dr Phil Bishop said. Dr Bishop is the chief scientist for the Amphibian Survival Alliance, a coalition of organisations backed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature which is charged with addressing a [...]