The real purpose of a leap year may be to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons, but at the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, we’d like to believe the day is designed to honor our favorite leapers. To celebrate, we’ve put together some fun facts about frog leaping.

Silverstoneia flotator, leaping

• Not all frogs can leap, or even hop. The desert rain frog (Breviceps macrops) has legs that are too short to hop. Instead, it walks.                 

• Male frogs of the genus Pipa are known to defend their territory by jumping at and then wrestling other males.

• The New Guineabush frog (Asterophrys turpicola) takes jump attacks one step further: before it jumps at a strange frog, it inflates itself and shows off its blue tongue.

• Stumpffia tridactyla are normally slow-moving critters, but when they’re startled they can abruptly jump up to 8 inches. That doesn’t sound very far, but these little guys are less than half an inch long!

• The Fujitree frog (Platymantis vitiensis) may be the leaping stuntman of the frog world. Each time it leaps, it twists in the air – sometimes even 180 degrees – to throw predators off its trail.

Desert rain frog walking

• The Larut torrent frog (Amolops larutensis) gets its name from a nifty leaping trick: it can jump into a fast-moving stream and back to its usual perch, the underside of a rock, without being affected by the current.

• The parachuting red-eyed leaf frog (Agalychnis saltator) gets its name from its habit of racing to its mating grounds by jumping from trees with finger-and toe-webbing spread wide.

• The record for the longest jump by an American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) recorded in a scientific paper is a little over 1.2 metres. But scientists who went to the Calaveras County Fair, which Mark Twain’s short story made famous for frog jumping, found that more than half the competitors bested that record – and one jumped more than 2.1 metres in one leap!

• The Guinness Book of World Records doesn’t include any frogs for their leaping ability. But it does track human performance in frog jumping (jumping while holding one’s toes). There are records listed for the longest frog jump and the fastest frog jumping over 10 and 100 meters.

In honor of leap day celebrations being coordinated globally by Amphibian Ark, the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project made this video for a frog song written by Alex Culbreth.

Meghan Bartels, Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project

Add Comment (1) Share

Here at ARKive we thought we would celebrate Valentine’s Day by spreading the word about our favourite species with our Love Species campaign, and encouraging others to do the same. We are thrilled to see so many of you getting involved on Twitter, tweeting about the species you love and using the #LoveSpecies tag.

One of our favourite tweets came from scientist and TV presenter Liz Bonnin, and we were lucky enough to catch up with her to hear a little more about her love for her favourite species – the majestic tiger.

I have always been obsessed with tigers, not just because they are magnificent creatures but because to me they are the perfect embodiment of the power and serenity of nature. My first encounter with a wild tiger will stay with me forever and has shaped my life like no other single event.

The film crew and I had travelled to the “Tiger State” of Madhya Pradesh in central India and based ourselves in Baghvan Lodge, in the buffer zone of Pench National Park. Each cold, misty morning before sunrise we would set out in our deconstructed jeep in the hope of catching sight of one of the 50 remaining tigers on the reserve, but had been warned that this would not be an easy task. Past visitors had been known to spend weeks here without a single sighting. Driving through Pench, it was easy to see why Rudyard Kipling based his “Jungle Book” on this place. Langur monkeys, their strange black faces nestled in glittering white fur, littered the trees and kept a look out for crepuscular predators in the early morning light. The chital below returned the favour, barking out small alarm calls as two jackals stalked on a nearby open plain.  A rare sambar hind (the tiger’s favourite prey) browsed as a solitary jungle cat meandered down a sandy track. The scene was nothing less than mesmerising.

And as luck would have it, on our second morning in Pench my dream of seeing a tiger in the wild came true. Chital alarm calls just a few hundred yards from the track we were driving on startled us in their intensity and suddenly a young chital broke out of the trees, stopping right in front of the jeep and staring at us, its pretty eyes as large as saucers, before bolting off into the forest again. And there in the distance, amongst the trees on a rocky incline I spotted a flash of orange and black, a tiger slowly climbing the hill and disappearing again all too soon.

With the help of our guide, we soon found ourselves on top of a beautiful 40-year-old male elephant, its mahout gently and expertly guiding him through the thick forest, in slow pursuit of the tiger. My heart was beating through my chest as our guide and the mahout exchanged a few words in Hindi and before I knew it we were gathered around a low-lying bush. Below it, the young tigress was resting, her eyes semi-closed, her massive paws stretched out in front of her. She yawned, bore her bright pink tongue and impressive teeth and rolled over on her back, legs akimbo. She was and still is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was obvious that she was unphased by our elephant, but it was also very clear that he knew his place and that the Mahout was keeping us at a safe distance. A respect for boundaries was going on here, this was the tigress’ forest and we were merely being tolerated by her.

She rolled over, stretched, and for the next three hours led us on a ‘guided tour’ of her territory, walking majestically through tall grasses and rocky terrain, inadvertently showing off the strength of her limbs and agility of her step. I tried to soak in as much of her as I could – her form, her coat, those paws, her intense stare, as she stopped every now and then to observe us. And as we finally left her in peace, I knew that I would never forget this moment.

Liz Bonnin, Scientist and TV Presenter

Get involved

Do you love tigers as much as Liz or is there another animal or plant that steals your heart? Get involved and help spread the love for species this Valentine’s Day by tweeting about your favourite using the #LoveSpecies hashtag!

Add Comment (2) Share

With almost 85,000 images available on ARKive for educational and scientific use, we are always pleased when people come up with new and exciting ways to use them. Dr Sharlene Santana is an evolutionary biologist who studies the diversity of mammal anatomy and function. Here, she tells us about her exciting work and how she has been using ARKive images.

Q: We were very excited to learn that you have been using ARKive images in your research! Tell us about your work and what you have discovered.

Thank you! ARKive has been an excellent resource for our recent studies. My latest work has been looking at how the diversity of mammal colors evolved. As you can see just browsing through pictures in ARKive, there is a striking variation in the colors and patterns mammals have, from species that are very dull, to others with spots, stripes and bright colors. Thus far our work has been able to identify several important factors linked to the diversity in color patters in primates and bats. For example, we found that some of the complex color patterns in the faces of New World primates (such as those seen in owl monkeys) evolved in species that live in small groups, while species that live in larger groups have simpler color patterns in their faces (e.g., howler monkeys). We also found that eye masks become darker towards the Equator and East South America, possibly to shield eyes from glare in very sunny environments. Also, in forested areas monkeys have darker noses and tops of their head, possibly to aid in camouflage. In bats, we have found that markings such as stripes likely evolved for camouflage from predators in species that roost in the vegetation.

Q: How did the images on ARKive help you?

The images on ARKive have been very useful to describe the color patterns of many species for which we would have not been able to obtain pictures otherwise. This is because many primate, bat and other mammal species in our studies are endangered, rare, or live in remote areas and thus are very difficult to access. Although we could get some coloration data for these species from descriptions or by looking at captive populations, having images of live, free-ranging animals better allowed us to describe their natural coloration.

An image of a Guatemalan black howler, used in the study

Q: What are you working on now?

Right now we are expanding our study on color patterns to the rest of primates and to carnivores. We want to see if and how their facial and coat patterns have evolved and what factors could be driving their evolution. 

Q: What inspired you to start a career in evolutionary biology?

I grew up in South America, so I was exposed to biodiversity from an early age and always loved animals. When I went to college I realised that what interested me the most was learning about the diversity in animal forms and functions, and that naturally led to going into evolutionary biology to study how this diversity comes about.

The research showed that the markings in some bats evolved as a means of camouflage

Q: How do you think ARKive can help to conserve endangered species?

ARKive can certainly help by creating awareness in the public about how extraordinary and important wildlife is, and by providing comprehensive information about species. Images speak volumes, and I think people connect better with conservation causes if they can see photos and videos of endangered species. On the other hand, this being such a large repository of imagery, it can also help us scientists in producing data that may ultimately prove useful for the conservation of species.

Q: And finally, the most difficult question, do you have a favourite species?

That is a hard question indeed!  I have many favorite species, but if I had to pick one right now I would say the white-throated round-eared bat (Lophostoma silvicolum). These are tropical insect-eating bats that roost inside active termite nests in trees (the males excavate the roosts with their teeth!). I’ve handled these bats a lot and they are not only cute but also very smart.

Dr Sharlene E. Santana with har favourite species, the white-throated round-eared bat (Lophostoma silvicolum)

Find out more about Dr Sharlene Santana’s work.

Becky Moran, ARKive Species Text Author

Add Comment (0) Share

Last week, the Hula painted frog (Discoglossus nigriventer) — one of our “Ten Most Wanted Amphibians” during last year’s Search for Lost Frogs — was rediscovered in Israel.

Israel’s Lake Hula is one of the oldest documented lakes, providing fertile hunting and fishing grounds for humans for tens of thousands of years. But in the early 1950s, the lake and surrounding marshes were drained.

Though initially celebrated as a great national achievement for tackling malaria, in time it became increasingly evident that the benefits of draining the swamps were limited, but the costs were high. Exposed soil blew away and dried peat ignited, causing underground fires that proved hard to control. A nearby lake became polluted with chemical fertilizers, raising water quality concerns. The draining also led to the near extinction of an entire ecosystem and the unique endemic fauna of the lake, including the Hula painted frog. Ironically, species such as the painted frog feed on mosquitoes that carry malaria.
 
Concern over the draining of Hula grew among the people of Israel, leading to the formation of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and a movement for the reflooding of the Hula Valley. It took 40 years for the protesters’ voices to be heard, but in the mid 1990s, parts of the Hula Valley were reflooded.
 
While much of the ecosystem was restored, not all species re-appeared and it was believed to be too late for the Hula painted frog; the species was declared extinct in 1996 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The frog became a poignant symbol for extinction in Israel.
 
Only three adult Hula painted frogs had ever been found. Two of these had been collected into captivity in the 1940s, but the larger one ate the smaller one, leaving just one specimen to remember the species by. The enigmatic frog was selected as one of the “top ten” species during the Search for Lost Frogs last year, highlighting the global importance of this species. It was lost but not forgotten.
 
But the story has just had a surprising twist. Earlier this week, Nature and Parks Authority warden Yoram Malka was conducting his routine patrol of the Hula Nature Reserve when something jumped from under him. He lunged after it and caught it: he was holding in his hand the first Hula painted frog seen since the year Elvis Presley first appeared on television.
 
This rediscovery is the icing on the cake of what is a major victory for conservation in Israel: the restoration of a rare and unique ecosystem. Because Israel has given the Hula Valley a second chance to thrive, the Hula frog has gone from being a symbol of extinction to a symbol of resilience. It is stories like this that bring hope to any conservation effort: if we give nature a chance, she may just surprise us.

Dr. Robin Moore, Amphibian Conservation Officer, Conservation International

Add Comment (0) Share

Did anyone (in the UK) catch last night’s The One Show on the BBC? If so, you would’ve seen Lizzie Croose from the Vincent Wildlife Trust explaining the ins and outs of pine marten conservation in England and Wales. For those of you who missed it, here’s Lizzie’s guest blog for ARKive explaining all…

The whereabouts of pine martens in England and Wales is one of the greatest mysteries facing UK mammalogists today. The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) has been collecting information on these agile cat-sized carnivores for more than 15 years, and although we are not quite ‘in the dark’ about the status of pine martens south of the Scottish border, there is certainly much more light that can be shed on these elusive mustelids.

The presence of pine martens is confirmed by the occasional scat sample, carcass or blurry photograph that emerges every couple of years, but other than this, we know very little about the distribution and ecology of these secretive creatures. Whilst pine martens are now faring very well in Scotland and Ireland and expanding in number and range, the situation in England and Wales is less clear.

The elusive pine marten

What we do know is that this charismatic mammal is now the rarest carnivore in England and Wales, as a result of years of persecution and woodland clearance. Today, small populations survive in the most remote corners of the country, to where they retreated over 100 years ago, such as Northumberland, the Lake District, North Yorkshire, the Peak District, Snowdonia and parts of mid and west Wales. But even in these ‘hot spots’, pine martens are not easy to spot. They are largely nocturnal, inhabit dense woodlands, live at low densities and can roam vast territories of up to 82km².

Pine martens are adept tree-climbers

So how do we make contact with such an elusive animal? The Vincent Wildlife Trust has been using an array of techniques to try and track down pine martens, including scat surveys, baited hair-collection tubes, scent lures and remote-sensor camera traps. Nevertheless, often our detection efforts are in vain and irrefutable DNA evidence of martens is very hard to come by. As a result, sightings reported by members of the public and naturalists make up the majority of the body of evidence that we have and provide a valuable insight into the secret lives of pine martens.

The pine marten is listed as a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species which means that assisting it to recover and prosper in England and Wales is a conservation priority. A key factor which is limiting the species recovery is probably a lack of suitable arboreal – or above ground – den sites, which provide pine martens with a safe place to raise their young and shelter from the elements, away from foxes and other predators.

Pine marten mother and kits in nest box

Preferentially, martens will den in large tree cavities, usually prevalent in ancient woodland, but today’s relatively young woodland does not provide many above-ground den sites. However, the VWT have come up with a cosy solution: artificial den boxes. Martens take readily to boxes in parts of Scotland where they have successfully raised kits in them, making den boxes a very useful conservation tool. However, boxes can only be a temporary solution and promoting the widespread retention of old trees and encouraging the development of natural cavities is a more sustainable long-term solution.

Pine marten nest box with scats

We hope that in time, habitat and environmental conditions will improve in order to support the recovery of the pine marten south of the Scottish border, but until then, we may have to continue travelling to Scotland in order to get a glimpse of this enigmatic animal.

For more information on the pine marten or to report a sighting in England or Wales, please visit www.pinemarten.info.

Visit ARKive’s great collection of pine marten photos and videos.

Written by Lizzie Croose, Administration and Field Assistant, Vincent Wildlife Trust.

Article contributed by Dr Neil Jordan, Pine Marten Project Manager, Vincent Wildlife Trust

Add Comment (2) Share