Last month, I went to Puerto Rico and I thought I’d share some pics.
Various pics of Crested Anoles (Anolis cristatellus)
Puerto Rican Ground Lizard (Pholidoscelis exsul)
There was many Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) chilling
Some videos of a turtle and fish from when i was snorkeling
some photos from El Yunque, the only rain forest in the usa
Random photos
Pics of the old fortresses in San Juan
some terrible pics of the only coqui i found
Common Name: Purple Harlequin Toad or Purple Fluorescent Frog
Scientific Name: Atelopus barbotini
Family: Bufonidae – True Toad family
Locations: French Guiana
Size: 1 – 1.3 inches (25 – 34 mm)
Species or sub-species? That is the main question for the Purple Harlequin Toad. They were considered / still are a subspecies of the Pebas Stubfoot Toad (Atelopus spumarius). Two different papers have shown that the Purple Harlequin Toad and the Pebas Stubfood Toad are not the same species. Though one of the papers argued that they are a subspecies of Cayenne Stubfoot Toad (Atelopus flavescens). But then there’s more. Another group of researchers has shown that the toad is part of the Hoogmoed’s Harlequin Frog (Atelopus hoogmoedi) species complex. At the end of the day, who care’s? It’s really cute.
The International Union for the Conservation has not assessed the species because they don’t believe it is an independent species. However, the toad isn’t doing well. The whole genus Atelopus has been decimated by Chytrid Fungus, a deadly fungal disease. On top of that, deforestation and gold mining isn’t helping any of them.
Common Name: Gardiner’s Seychelles Frog
Scientific Name: Sechellophryne gardineri
Family: Sooglossidae – Seychelles Frog family
Locations: Seychelles Islands
Size: 0.3- .04 inches (10 – 11 mm)
The Gardiner’s Seychelles Frog lives on the islands of Seychelles, primarily on the Mahé and Silhouette islands. They are one of the smallest species of frogs in the world. The frogs spend their life amongst the leaf litter or on low vegetation in rain forests.
The frogs breed all year long. The males call out from under the leaf litter to attract females. Once the female arrives, the male grasps her from behind in the amplexus position. Then, the female lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. The female lays between 8 to 16 eggs. The eggs directly hatch into tiny froglets, skipping the tadpole stage.
The Gardiner’s Seychelles Frog is listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The two main threats to the frog is climate change and habitat degradation. Some of the rainforests where they live were changed to cinnamon tree plantations. Luckily, the frog does live in the Morne Seychellois National Park which protects them. There are captive colonies of the frog but they have not been able to be bred in captivity.
The isle of Jersey is home to only one frog and one toad. This is the only spot in the United Kingdom where you can find them
The Agile Frog has smooth skin compared to the Spiny Toad.
The Spiny Toad has large paratoid glands and warts that the Agile Frog does not have.
Northern Ireland is home to only one frog species and zero toads, making it a crappy spot to go froggin.
The only frog in Northern Ireland is one of the most common frogs in all of Europe.
Here’s an update on my pets, I’m probably gonna do one of these a month.
Hall and Oates are my twin tabby cats, They are around one and a half years old. Oates (the gray one) is the more cuddly of the two while Hall likes belly rubs more.
Rayna is still going strong, I have no idea how old she is since I got her off craigslist.
Tyrion is my sole poison dart frog atm. I’ve had him since December 2019 and he or she is doing well.
Mario is the newest member of the team. I got him around April this year.
Sven and Olaf the African Clawed Frogs
Sven and Olaf are my oldest frogs, I can’t remember exactly when I got them but it was during college between 2013-2015.
The Hound and The Mountain (Axolotls)
The Hound (white) and the Mountain (black) are two axolotls that I got off of craigslist for free in 2019. They still rocking on.
Stuart the Snapping Turtle
Stuart is doing well. He is getting a lot bigger and i’m gonna soon need to buy him a new tank.
Common Name: Moor Frog
Scientific Name: Rana arvalis
Family: Ranidae – True Frog family
Locations: Â Austria, Belarus, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine
Size: 2 – 2.75 inches (5.5 – 7 cm)
The Moor frogs lives in central to northern Europe and western Asia. They spend their time around the edges on swamps, ponds, and bogs. Impressively, the frog lives up in the tundra. They can live up to 11 years in the wild.
The Moor Frog starts to breed once they awaken from their hibernation, generally between March and June. The males are known to turn bright blue for a few days during the breeding season. Besides that, the mating behaviors are pretty standard for a frog. The males form breeding choruses in water bodies to help attract mates. Once a female shows up, the male grasps her from behind in the amplexus position. Then, the female lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. The female lays between 500 – 3000 eggs. Neither parent provides any care for the offspring.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies the Moor Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They are one of the most common frogs throughout central and northern Europe. The only threat that the frog faces is the destruction of wetlands in the range.
Common Name: American Alligator
Scientific Name: Alligator mississippiensis
Family: Alligatoridae = Alligator family
Locations: United States and Mexico
US Locations: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas
Size: 10 – 15 feet (3 – 4.5 meters)
The American Alligator is an iconic species of the southeastern United States. They live a long time, up to 50 years in the wild. Female alligators don’t grow as long as males, only reaching 10 feet long max. The alligators have an interesting way of surviving freezing temperatures. They stick the tip of their snout of the water so they can breed while keeping the rest of their body underwater. Then, they go into a state of brumation to preserve their energy. Also, the gators create massive tunnels to help them escape dangerous weather conditions.
Courtship begins in April with mating typically happening in May. The male bellows out for the females and to ward off other suitors. These bellows make the water on the back of the alligator “dance”. Mating takes place only in fresh water. The female lays her eggs in a nest she builds in late June or early July. The eggs take between 63 – 84 days to hatch. The babies break open their eggs and call out for the mom. Then, the mom digs out her babies and protects them from predators for a few years. Even with the mom’s protection, around 80% of the offspring dies from predation.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies the American Alligator as Least Concern for Extinction. This wasn’t always the case. The alligator was once on the Endangered Species List. People hunted the gators to the brink of extinction. Legal protections were in acted that saved the species. Now, alligators are numerous throughout their range. Thanks to proper wildlife management, people can hunt the gators once again.
The Crocodile Research Coalition is a non-profit organization that focuses on the protection of crocodiles throughout Central America and the Caribbean. The group was founded by Dr. Marissa Tellez and her husband Karl Kohlman in 2016. The group runs a variety of different projects to help crocodiles. They do hands on science such as population surveys to help aid in the conservation of the crocodiles. The CRC also educates the public about crocodiles and they also lobby the government to help crocodiles and clean up / protect their habitat.
The Crocodile Research Coalition is working to build a state of the art facility in Placencia Peninsula. You can help them build the facility by donating to them.
You can view their website at CrocodileResearchCoalition.org or follow them on Facebook or twitter @CrocResCoal
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