Toad-ally Cool

So I was scrolling through the latest edition of "Under Currents" which is Cape Town's Two Ocean's Aquarium publication and a remarkable story caught my eye about an endangered Western leopard toad that had been rescued from literally under the wheel of a car and rehabilitated for the sake of 'saving the species'. In all my years out in the bundu's, I'd never heard of a frog being given veterinary treatment before - anesthetic and antibiotic injections included! Furthermore, his tongue had been irreparably damaged and was amputated as a result implying he could no longer swallow. Frogs use their tongues to push their food towards the back of the mouth and then jam it down the throat using their eyeballs. In spite of this set-back for 'Teddy' (as he has been dubbed...to my dismay as I'm not really pro the anthropomorphism of wildlife but it does help with fostering public support) and a period of undignified force-feeding, the one-eyed toad made a miraculous recuperation and began lunging and swallowing of his own accord. Unfortunately he won't ever rejoin a wild population but is now housed at the aquarium in a very prestigious ambassadorial position!

So whats the big deal about a toad getting a second chance? The fact of the matter is that frogs are indicators of the state of the environment. Because they have such moist, porous skins, they tend to absorb toxins much more easily that other scaled or furred creatures and are usually the first to disappear from an environment because of poisoning. Scientists typically guage the health of a habitat by the occurence of frog species. Toads are one group of frogs...one that yes, has more warty skin than most but this is simply an adapatation to the type of habitat they live in. The bumps on the skin create an uneven surface that acts as camoflage as they move around on the ground. Of the 'frogs', toads are the most terrestrial. Touching a toad will not give a person warts although they do have enlarged parotid glands on the head which secrete toxins as a defence when they are picked up by something (the toxin is what causes dogs mouths to froth when they grab toads).

The Western Leopard Toad occurs as a very small population in two isolated locatilities in the Cape and not much is really known about its survival success at the moment because they're so rare. Every member is considered vital for the perpetuation of the species. Of the frog species found in South Africa, more than half are found in the Western Cape (a whopping 62 spp) of which 29 species are found no where else in the world! Due to the fact that cities and farm lands expand so rapidly in our day and age, the habitats needed by all creatures but primarily the sensitive frogs are being diminished. This in conjunction with a rogue chytrid fungus that affects all frogs is wiping them out to the point that we're headed to the single largest mass extinction since the dinosaurs!

Sad state of affairs but I guess my take on the matter is that we should all try to appreciate what we've got while we have it (hop on down to Two Oceans and visit their new frog exhibit http://www.aquarium.co.za/ or see frogs on display at uShaka Marine World in Durban or Cango Wildlife Ranch in Oudtshoorn). Painted reed frogs (blogged about yesterday and the day before) and grey tree frogs often hide-out in human habitations to see through the winter (dry season)...who doesn't want to hiberate...have a look at them but don't chase them away or freak-out (they eat insects not humans). There are some practical things that 'Under Currents' suggests that one can do to encourage frogs in your garden like having a few upturned flower-pots under which they can hide, a net affixed to the side of the swimming pool to allow them to climb out after their dip (otherwise they usually drown coz there's no way out), beware of toxins you're using in the garden, create escape passages under / through the garden wall (only need be big enough for the frog not a burglar!) and try not to drive over the little critters during the rainy season.

The Chinese see a toad in the moon - not a man - and a lunar eclipse is the result of said amphibian trying to swallow the 'big cheese' itself...a bit extreme maybe but I hope a reminder to all of us of how toad-ally cool and (necessary in the bigger picture) frogs are!

(pic from http://www.flickr.com/)