A Rapsody in Green - Skeptic Friends Network

Skeptic Friends Network

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

Connect: Chat | SFN Messenger | Buddy List | Members

Personalize: Profile | My Page | Forum Bookmarks

All Forums

Community Forums

General Discussion

A Rapsody in Green

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

BookMark Topic

Author

Topic

filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 04/10/2006 : 03:55:03

Our story begins a long, long time ago, some 345 million years ago, or there abouts; way back in the upper Devonian when certain species of air-breathing, lobe-finned fishes, the Rhipidistians, began to experiment with scrabbling about in the aquatic plant growth along the edges of the shallow, lakes and estuaries of the times. Eventually, many of them came ashore, but it was a fumbling start on becoming terrestrial, for even such as Icthyostega, one of the most important, known transitional species of the times, would have been a clumsy, full-time land-dweller at best.

Icthyostega

Acanthostega

But contemporaries of these were the ancestors of our modern frogs and toads, some of the most successful, vertebrate species ever to set foot on land.

The fossil record does not yet tell us exactly when frogs first appeared. The earliest evidence of them are from the Triassic, about 250 million years ago, notably a fossil of Triadobatrachus massinoti, found in Madagascar -- not exactly a frog, but defiantly not a salamander. Their Permian ancestors were elongated and with tails, not unlike today's salamanders, but in due course, the tail shrank into the body (the Tailed Frog, which we‘ll touch upon shortly, does not have a tail as such. It‘s ‘tail‘ is a recent, evolutionary addition) and the pelvis narrowed. It also formed a movable joint that allows the pelvis to change position on the spine to a degree. That and a set of heavily adapted forelegs allows the frog to perform it's prodigious leaps and bone-shattering landings; the only animal on earth known to ever have such an arrangement.

Bullfrog Skeleton

But enough of ancient, evolutionary conniptions and the screwball anatomies they resulted in. Let's get on to the good stuff and look at some Frogs!

There are some 4,000 species of known frogs and toads inhabiting every continent except Antarctica, and thus, we cannot nearly cover them all. We are forced to lightly scratch the surface, as it were, and that understood, let us start it off with a little soap opera.

Froggy Went A'Courtin'

Frogs and toads have reproductive strategies that range from the sublime to the outrageous. The afore-mentioned Tailed Frog, a dweller of fast-moving streams in British Columbia and the American Northwest, fertilizes it's eggs internally. It's miniscule “tail” is not a tail at all, but an appendage used to funnel the male's sperm into the female's cloacae. It does not risk it's precious eggs and the fertilization thereof to the vagaries of fast water. Once the eggs are fertilized, the female further protects them by laying them under submerged rocks to continue their development into larvae.

Tailed Frogs in love.

Some of the tree frogs breed communally, notably Chiromantis species, placing their eggs in a foam nest a few feet above standing water. The eggs of all develop in these nests and the tadpoles then wriggle out and fall into the waiting water. As many as 20 individuals have been observed build

"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres

"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

Edited by - filthy on 04/10/2006 04:17:02

dv82matt
SFN Regular

760 Posts

Posted - 04/10/2006 : 05:39:08 [Permalink]

Thank's filthy, I never cease to be amazed at how life can be so fragile, yet still be so tenacious, adaptive and creative.

Nature is pretty incredible once you actually look at it and get a glimpse of some of the creatures that evolved over millenia into what they are today.

I really like learning about evolutionary "curiosities" (if that's the right word) like the archer fish and that fish that got it's skull all twisted sideways from it's survival tactic of laying flat on the sea floor for example.

Frogs and toads sure have some unique survival strategies, wow. Thanks for sharing.

trogdor
Skeptic Friend

198 Posts

Posted - 04/10/2006 : 14:36:09 [Permalink]

fantastic! I am going to start hearing frogs soon in MN. good article

all eyes were on Ford Prefect. some of them were on stalks.
-Douglas Adams

filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 04/11/2006 : 03:21:45 [Permalink]

Thanks guys. Y'know, a frog should be right up a skeptics alley. If you had never heard of such am animal, how unlikely would you consider it?

Heh, you would consider it all but impossible, sneer contemptuously, and advise me to quit reading the Weekly World News (NEVER! Gots to have my WWW!). Would you not?

We didn't even put a smudge on the surface with this piece, let alone actually scratch it. For example, the fascinating arid country species mentioned might remain in a torpor for years if necessary, until the rains come. They dig in deeply, encase themselves in a ball of mucus and remain all but dead until water seeping in awakens them. And then the race is on!

First, they eat the protective mucus and their own, shed skins, then dig out of the softened soil. Now they must spawn and feed prodigiously to sustain themselves through the next dry period, then dig back in before the surface of soil gets too hard. And of course, their offspring must do the same, if they can survive their birthing pool. I do not know what their over-all survival rates are -- this is some pretty harsh living and a very tough animal.

As a skeptic, would you buy this pig in a poke? I sure as hell wouldn't!

Anyhow, I enjoyed writing it. Next one I do, I think I'll break it down by species and thus be able to go into greater detail.

JohnOAS
SFN Regular

Australia
800 Posts

Posted - 04/11/2006 : 03:28:27 [Permalink]

Thanks Filthy.

I've found a couple of tiny frog casualties in our pool filter in the past. We're currently finishing off some gardens and landscaping out the back, I think I'll have to seriously consider a small pond or something to give them a safer place to hang out.

My 2 year old daughter currently loves cats, not that we own one, but I'm sure she can learn to love frogs too!

John's just this guy, you know.

NubiWan
Skeptic Friend

USA
424 Posts

Posted - 04/11/2006 : 09:24:28 [Permalink]

Great job on an interesting article, filthy.

filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 04/11/2006 : 13:14:52 [Permalink]

quote:
Originally posted by JohnOAS

Thanks Filthy.

I've found a couple of tiny frog casualties in our pool filter in the past. We're currently finishing off some gardens and landscaping out the back, I think I'll have to seriously consider a small pond or something to give them a safer place to hang out.

My 2 year old daughter currently loves cats, not that we own one, but I'm sure she can learn to love frogs too!

Tell her that I said that anyone who does not love frogs has no soul!

Hope you put in the pool -- Oz is blessed with some very interesting frogs.

I don't know if you are in the ever-expanding range of B. marinis, but if so, don't be leary about picking one up and disposing of it. Just don't handle it around the head and don't lick your fingers afterward.

To 'dispose' of a Cane Toad: put it in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer for a day or two (your daughter doesn't need to see you do this). It is the best way to euthanize any small reptile or amphibian, if that is what must be done.