The Curious Compendium 2023-2024: Shih-tzu, maltese, pekingese!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Last part for salamanders and we will move on to frogs!



The great crested newt has unique spots on the bellies of individuals, this can be used to ID them! Only the males have crests. Juvenile newts are called "efts".

[Saarlooswolfhound]

My apologies for no post Monday; I was battling some sort of plague.  Here is a double post instead!

And just a reminder... moving into frogs now, this is well past my comfort zone. Some of the "fun facts" may get generalized if I can't find something exciting/fitting for the group presented
 If I get something classified wrong, please let me know; but in general I try follow TAW rather than my own beginner knowledge.

Starting with something *easy*; Blue Poison Dart Frogs!


Poison dart frogs make their namesake poison (an alkaloid) from their diet of insects; one specific beetle from the Melyridae family is believed to be the key ingredient.

Dyeing Dart Frog!


Because of the fact shared above, these frogs are often non-poisonous when in captivity (because the diet is so different). This makes them much safer for handling and for husbandry.

[BlueKrono]

Ooh, I hope histrionicus is in the pipeline!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

 

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Strawberry poison dart frogs!





The content of the poison varies with their diet. The effects can range from irritants, to hallucinagens, convulsants, nerve poisons, and vasoconstrictants. One of the more common ways it kills is by affecting the contraction of muscles, particularly the heart (leading to heart failure).

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Green and black poison dart frog!





The chemicals in their poison do not readily deteriorate; these frogs can maintain this toxin for 2 years!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Yellow-banded poison dart frogs!





Of over 175 species of poison dart frogs only 3 have been documented as being used for the local native american hunting practices. Curare plants are generally MUCH more commonly used (probably because they are easier to catch ).

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Here you are BlueKrono.

Lehman's and Harlequin PDF!





As one might imagine, the coloration correlates to the deadliness of the toxic frog. These colors may give them away to potential predators in the lush muted natural colors of their environment, but they are a dead give away to most that these small frogs are NOT for snacking on!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Mixed group of PDFs.





These toxins of these frogs have been shown to be medicinally useful in recent studies! These range in ise from general anesthetic, to a painkiller more effective and less addictive than morphine, to a cardiac stimulant; these frogs hold secrets we are currently trying to understand.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

My last group of poison dart frogs!


The golden poison dart frog (pictured above) is the deadliest known PDF; possibly the most poisonous animal on earth! At only 5cm long it has enough poison to kill 10-20 humans, 20,000 mice, or 2 adult bull African elephants. The amount of toxin to cover a pinhead could kill you or a full grown adult jaguar!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Reed frogs!



My fun fact is for the common reed frog: it was once thought that these animals were capable of protogyny (changing from one sex to another if environmental need arose). However, it is now believed that this was an extremely rare case; it had been observed in a captive colony in 1989, hasn't been recorded since, and has never been seen in the wild.

[EpicRaptorMan]

Golden Poison Dart Frogs?

[bmathison1972]

Ha. All four of those reed frogs have been showcased in my daily Museum thread already; one of them just a couple days ago 

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Horned frogs!


Also known as Pacman frogs, Argentine horned frogs have been known to choke themselves to death by attempting to eat prey items larger than themselves!

[Gwangi]

I used to have one of these as a pet. 

[BlueKrono]

My favorite kind of frog. I actually ended up learning Portuguese and Spanish and going down to the Amazon rainforest to study herpetology because I was so enraptured by that Safari figure (though my time in Brazil was mostly occupied with a turtle study).

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Thats really neat Gwangi! What was its name?

And thats really cool too BlueKrono. What turtles were you studying and what were you trying to find out?

[Gwangi]

Thats really neat Gwangi! What was its name?

And thats really cool too BlueKrono. What turtles were you studying and what were you trying to find out?

His name was Landfill. 

[BlueKrono]

Thats really neat Gwangi! What was its name?

And thats really cool too BlueKrono. What turtles were you studying and what were you trying to find out?

I was studying the red-headed sideneck turtle (Rhinemys rufipes), trying to determine if the population in the small, protected rainforest reserve I was working in was self-sustaining.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

That is a perfect name for that frog. And that sounds like a great study! Thank you both for sharing.

More horned frogs.


These were challenging to find fun facts on and I am sure they won't be the last. But for the Malayan horned frog; even their babies have weird protuberances on their heads! Their mouths specifically have these wide flange like tissues around them.