Ryukyu Tip-Nosed Frog

True Wild Life | Ryukyu Tip-Nosed Frog | The Ryukyu Tip-Nosed Frog is a species of frog in the Ranidae family. It is endemic to Japan. Ryukyu Tip-Nosed Frogs only live in the northern main island of Okinawa. Not like the other frogs, Ryukyu Tip-Nosed Frogs have nostrils at the tip of their faces. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss. Ryukyu Tip-Nosed Frogs enjoy eating small bugs or centipedes, and some shellfishes on the land.

Now, the forests that Ryukyu Tip-Nosed Frogs need for living became smaller because people cut down trees to build dams and roads. Many people come to see rare Ryukyu Tip-Nosed Frogs with their own eyes, but their visits hurt the environment. Exotic animals in Okinawa can adapt to the changes in nature. But they are not comfortable living with dams or roads, and being gazed by humans.

Ishikawa's Frog

True Wild Life | Ishikawa's Frog | Ishikawa's Frog is the most beautiful frog in Japan. Forests are disappearing and rivers are becoming dirty. Ishikawa's frog is in danger. Amphibians have trouble changing when their environment changes. They have a purple and green pattern that looks like moss. It hides them from their enemies.

The population of Okinawajima is designated as a natural monument by Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures, but there remains a need for improved protection of forest habitat on both Okinawajima and Amamioshima.

Ishikawa's Frog only lives on Okinawa's main island, and is a very special frog. Some people believe they are Japan's most beautiful frog. Ishikawa's Frog needs small mountain streams in forests to live. However, forests are disappearing and rivers are becoming dirty. Ishikawa's Frog cannot live safely. Their numbers are becoming smaller, and we worry about their disappearance in the future. To stop the disappearance of Ishikawa's Frog, severe rules about catching and caring for them were made. But, that's not enough to save Ishikawa's Frog. Frogs are amphibians, and are very sensitive to changes in environment. We must give back the rivers, forests, and the surrounding nature to Ishikawa's Frog.

Goliath Frog

True Wild Life | Goliath Frog | The Goliath Frog is the biggest frog in the world. They have been popular as food from a long time ago. They are also caught to keep as pets or for their skin, and their numbers have gone down to half of what they were before. This animal has a relatively small habitat range, mainly in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Its numbers are dwindling due to habitat destruction, its collection for consumption as food and its collection for the pet trade.

The goliath frog is normally found in and near fast-flowing rivers with sandy bottoms in the West African countries of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. These rivers are usually clear and highly oxygenated. Their actual range spans from the last 200 km of the Sanaga basin in Cameroon to the north to the last 50 km  of the Benito River basin in Equatorial Guinea to the south. The river systems in which these frogs live are often found in dense, extremely humid areas with relatively high temperatures. The goliath frog can live up to 15 years in the wild. In captivity, they can live up to 21 years. While male Goliath frogs weigh up to 8 pounds, females can weigh up to 7. These frogs have acute hearing but no vocal sac, and additionally lack nuptial pads.

The goliath frog, like most frogs, feed on worms, and insects, such as dragonflies and locusts. Bees and wasps could be prey, but since they have stingers they use as a weapon, the goliath frog rarely even catch one. Goliath Frogs also eat smaller frogs, largely crabs, baby turtles, and young snakes. The goliath frog is also preyed on by snakes, Nile crocodiles and Nile monitors.

Like all amphibians the water is vital for their reproduction. The males will construct spawning and breeding areas alongside and within rivers by pushing rocks into semicircular patterns. Not much is known about the goliath frog's reproduction; however, some African scholars have started to do more research for medical reasons. They are the biggest frogs in the world. As tadpoles they are pretty small, and become frogs about 1.4cm in length. Once they become frogs they get bigger little by little.

The increase of people in the Goliath Frog's living space has become a problem. First, the spaces where they can live have become fewer. Also, Goliath Frogs are skilled swimmers and live near rivers. Because of people, the rivers have started to get dirtier, and the frogs are no longer able to live in a safe environment like before.

Golden Poison Frog

True Wild Life | Golden Poison Frog | The Golden Poison Frog is the most poisonous animal in the world. Unfortunately, they are on the brink of extinction because tropical rainforests are disappearing. The golden poison Frog's skin is densely coated in alkaloid poison, one of a number of poisons common to dart frogs  which prevents nerves from transmitting impulses, leaving the muscles in an inactive state of contraction. This can lead to heart failure or fibrillation.

The Golden Poison Frog's natural enemy is a genus of snakes called the Leimadophis Epinephelus. These snakes are unaffected by the lethal poison of the Golden Poison Frog. The Golden Frog lives on the ground in humid forests, and is only known from primary forest. It is not known whether or not it can adapt to secondary habitats. The eggs are laid on the ground and the males transport the larvae to permanent pools.  The main natural sources of food of Golden Poison Frogs are the ants in the genera Brachymyrmex and Paratrechina, but many kinds of insects and other small invertebrates can be devoured, specifically termites and beetles, which can easily be found on the rainforest floor. This frog is considered the most voracious of the dendrobatids.

In captivity, the frog is fed with Drosophila fruit flies, cochineals and crickets, the larvae of various insects, and other small live invertebrate foods. An adult frog can eat food items much larger in relation to its size than most other dendrobatids. Golden Poison Frog is a very important frog to the local indigenous cultures, such as the Choco Emberá people in Colombia's rainforest. The frog is the main source of the poison in the darts used by the natives to hunt their food. The Emberá people carefully expose the frog to the heat of a fire, and the frog exudes small amounts of poisonous fluid. The tips of arrows and darts are soaked in the fluid, and keep their deadly effect for over two years.

In many ways, humans have benefited from the Golden Poison Frog. Yet today, the wild frogs are in danger of extinction. They live in only certain parts of tropical rainforests that are disappearing as deforestation and farm land development continues in various parts of the world.

Anderson's Crocodile Newt

 

True Wild Life | Anderson's Crocodile Newt | The Anderson's Crocodile Newt  is a species of salamander in the Salamandridae family. It is found in Japan and Taiwan. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss. The Anderson's Crocodile Newt gets its name from its bumpy ribs.

The Anderson's Crocodile Newt looks the same today as long, long ago. Their nickname is "the living fossil". They've survived through time but the forests and woods are vanishing, and they're in trouble. They love munching on bugs and beetles, and worms for a snack.

It is an amazing creature because all through time, it hasn't changed a bit. Nicknamed "the living fossil", he's the link to all ancient animals. It received its name from his bumpy ribs. His ribs are his charm and his cool dinosaur look.

The Anderson's Crocodile Newt, a super survivor of time, is facing extinction. People are building roads and resorts on top of the Anderson's Crocodile Newt's home; the forest and woods, and now it is homeless. If the Anderson's Crocodile Newt falls into a roadside ditch, it won't be able get out and it will die! Anderson's Crocodile Newt hasn't changed through time because there was never a problem with the forest and woods. It can't survive with all of this sudden change.

Tree Frog

True Wild Life | Tree Frog | The tree frog is a small species of frog that spends its life in the trees. True tree frogs are found inhabiting the forests and jungles in the warmer regions all over the world. Tree frogs are best known for their distinctive disc-shaped toes on the end of each leg. The rounded toes of the tree frog, gives its feet more suction and therefore better grip when moving around in the trees.

There are four main species of tree frog which vary in size from just a few to more than 10 centimetres in length. The European tree frog is found in meadows and shrublands across eastern Europe but is considered endangered in western Europe. The Common tree frog is the smallest of the tree frog species and is found in a variety of habitats across south-east Asia. The Cuban tree frog is the largest of the four tree frog species ans is natively found in Cuba and its surrounding islands, but has been introduced to parts of Florida, the Caribbean and Hawaii. The Red-Eyed tree frog is the most distinctive of the tree frog species and is native to the jungles of Central America. The Red-Eyed tree frog has a long narrow body and hind legs which point outwards, along with its characteristic red eyes.

As with other frogs and toads, tree frog are generally carnivorous animals, feeding primarily on insects, worms and spiders. The large Cuban tree frog will eat anything that will fit in its mouth including lizards, snakes, small mammals and even other frogs. Due to their small size, the tree frog has numerous predators wherever it lives in the world. Birds, mammals and reptiles of all shapes and sizes prey on the tree frog and the tree frog is also known to be a tasty tree for large fish.

During the mating season, tree frogs make loud croak-like calls to one another in order to attract a mate. The female tree frog lays her eggs on a leaf above the water, which develop into tadpoles in just a few days when they fall into the water below. The metamorphic process from tadpole to adult tree frog can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

Tiger Salamander

True Wild Life | Tiger Salamander | The tiger salamander is a small species of salamander, found inhabiting wetland habitats across North America. The tiger salamander can be easily distinguished from other species of salamander by the dark-coloured markings on the skin of the tiger salamander. An adult tiger salamander is rarely seen out in the open as they spend their lives in burrows about half a meter into the ground. Most adult tiger salamanders live in their burrows on the land, only returning to the water to mate.

The tiger salamander is green, black, brown or grey in colour and has blotchy markings on its skin. The tiger salamander also has sturdy legs and a long tail, all of which the tiger salamander is able to regrow should these limbs become lost or damaged. The tiger salamander is a carnivorous amphibian mainly hunting worms, insects and spiders that crawl into its burrow. Adult tiger salamanders are also known to hunt much larger animals such as baby mice and small frogs.

Due to the small size and ground-dwelling nature of the tiger salamander, the tiger salamander has numerous natural predators where it lives in North America. Raccoons, coatis and river turtles are the most common predators of the tiger salamander, along with birds and large reptiles. Most tiger salamander individuals will only get the chance to breed just once in their up to 15 years lifetime. The larvae of the tiger salamander are aquatic which means that the female tiger salamander lays her eggs in the water, generally on either a log or leaves close to the bottom of the water.

The eggs of the tiger salamander hatch into larvae which come in two forms, cannibalistic (meaning that they eat one another ) and non-cannibalistic larvae. The larvae take a varied amount of time depending on the region, to fully metamorphose into an adult tiger salamander.

Striped Rocket Frog

True Wild Life | Striped Rocket Frog | The striped rocket frog is a small species of rocket frog natively found on mainland Australia and on a number of the islands that are both close to it and surround it. The striped rocket frog is closely related to other species of rocket frog, all of which are named for their remarkably agile jumping abilities and their streamlined-shaped bodies. The striped rocket frog is found mostly in coastal areas from northern Western Australia to New South Wales in the south and is also found inhabiting lowland areas of parts of the tropical Indonesian island of Papua New Guinea. The striped rocket frog is found in a variety of wetland habitats including swamps, ponds and flooded grasslands in forests and open woodland.

The striped rocket frog is an easily identifiable species of frog due to its relatively small size and the two stripe-like folds of skin the run vertically down the striped rocket frog's back. The skin of the striped rocket frog is usually a dark brown colour and has dark spot-like markings across it's back and legs. The striped rocket frog has a narrow and streamlined body which makes for more agile movement through both the air and water. The striped rocket frog has incredibly long and powerful legs which can propel this little frog over vast distances (comparable with it's size). The striped rocket is actually a type of tree frog but despite this, the striped rocket frog spends the majority of it's life on the ground due to the fact that they sticky discs on their toes are simply not big enough to allow them to climb with ease.

Like most other species of frog, the striped rocket frog is a carnivorous animal that catches the majority of it's using it's long and sticky tongue. The striped rocket frog primarily feeds on small invertebrates such as insects, moths and spiders along with worms and insect larvae. The webbed feet of the striped rocket frog mean that this animal is able to hunt effectively both on land and in the water. Due to the fairly small size of the striped rocket frog, it has numerous predators within its natural environment. Large birds and bats prey on the striped rocket frog from the skies and ground-dwelling predators such as cats and foxes prey on this species on the ground. The water-based eggs and tadpoles of the striped rocket frog are preyed upon by aquatic animals including fish and other frogs.

In the same way as other species of frogs (and indeed toads), the striped rocket frog undergoes the incredible metamorphic process of turning from the young aquatic tadpole, to the generally ground-dwelling adult. Females lay an average of 60 eggs in a sticky mass known as frogspawn which floats on the surface of the water. When they are ready, the hatching tadpoles drop into the water where they begin there life underwater. Today, the striped rocket frog has been listed as Least concern as although it is not deemed to be under immediate threat from extinction, the striped rocket frog populations have been affected in much of the native range from deforestation and the introduction of mammalian predators.

Spadefoot Toad

True Wild Life | Spadefoot Toad | There are two main types of spadefoot toad, those that live only in North America and those that live in Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia. The spadefoot toad is an amphibian and anurans. Anurans are frogs and toads. Spadefoot toads are rarely seen because of their unusual habits. They are usually found in Western North American deserts like the Mojave, Chihuaha, and Sonoran. Normally this would be a problem for an amphibian, but spadefoot toads are able to deal with the hot and dry weather as spadefoot toads spend most of their time underground.

The spadefoot toad is a burrowing species of toad and they use their large front feet to make tunnels in the sand. Spadefoot toads are able to spend weeks underground but will come to the surface at night time after heavy rain when the air is moist, so that they can feed. Spadefoot toads are omnivorous animals and have a primarily vegetarian diet when they are young. As the spadefoot toad gets older, they begin to eat large invertebrates such as snails, grasshoppers and caterpillars.

The spadefoot toad tadpoles develop very quickly. They can also dig holes and bury themselves until the next desert rain, when they will spawn and turn into the larger, rounder adult toads.

Spadefoot toads generally live between 3 and 12 years but are prey to a number of larger predators. Birds and birds of prey can pick out an unsuspecting spadefoot toad from the sky above and snakes often hunt them on the ground. Fish are the primary predators for the smaller and more vulnerable spadefoot toad tadpoles.

Salamander

True Wild Life | Salamander | A salamander is an amphibian that has four legs, a long and slender body and a long tail. Despite their lizard-like appearance, salamanders are most closely related to the smaller amphibious lizard, the newt. Salamanders are found all over the world generally in more temperate climates. All species of salamander are aquatic or semi-aquatic due to their amphibious nature and permeable skin. The moist skin of the salamander means that the salamander inhabits aquatic regions or wetlands.

There are more than 700 different species of recognised salamander worldwide from the smaller species of newt to the Chinese Giant salamander which can grow to nearly 2 meters long. All species of salamander look very similar in appearance but as with lizards, different species of salamander can have less limbs than normal meaning that some species of salamander have a more eel-like appearance.

In a similar way to newts and lizards, the salamander is remarkably able to regenerate and regrow lost limbs and sometimes other body parts too. This gives the salamander an advantage when being hunted by predators as the salamander is able to drop body parts and escape. Most species of salamander are brightly coloured, particularly the male salamanders during the breeding season, when their colours become brighter and more intense in order to try to attract a female. Those species of salamander that live underground are often either white or pink in colour due to the fact that their skin is never exposed to the sun.

The skin of salamanders secretes mucus, which helps keep the animal moist when on dry land, and maintains their salt balance while in water, as well as providing a lubricant during swimming. Salamanders also secrete poison from glands in their skin, and some additionally have skin glands for secreting courtship pheromones. Salamander population numbers have been dramatically decreasing possibly due to levels of fungus that is increasingly present in the water. It is unknown as to whether or not this is the reason for the decreasing salamander numbers but pollution levels are also thought to have played a big part.

Newt

True Wild Life | Newt | The newt is a small amphibian and the average newt only tends to grows to around 15cm long, some newts however are bigger or smaller depending on the species of newt. The newt is found naturally in North America, Europe and Asia and the newt is thought to be a subspecies of the salamander. A newt tends to lay its eggs individually, with the newt normally finding ponds or slow-moving streams in which to do this. The individual newt eggs attach themselves to aquatic plants and hatch in about 3 weeks. The main difference between newt eggs and frog or toad eggs is that the eggs of the newt are laid individually and are attached to plants. Frog and toad eggs float close to the surface of the water and are usually found in big clumps, where there are often hundreds of eggs together.

The newt tadpoles have a slight resemblance to baby fish, other than the fact that they have feathered external gills. The baby newt will grow legs during the first few months, at which time, the baby newt will be able to explore both water and land. The newt is generally a solitary animal but some species of newt are known to hibernate in groups. Newts generally come together during the mating season which tends to take place in early spring.

People commonly keep fire-bellied newts, paddle-tail newts and crocodile newts as pets. The newt is seen as a good pet to keep as the newt is small and quiet and some species of newt, like the great crested newt native to Europe can get to 27 years old. There are thought to be around 15 different species of newt found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and many of these newt species contain toxins in their skin which helps the newt to defend itself from predators. Certain species of the Pacific newt, found in North America are particularly toxic, with some of these newts containing enough toxin in there skin to kill and adult human.

Newts are known best for their lizard-shaped body, with four legs and a long tail. Not only do newts have the incredible ability to breath both underwater and on land, but newts are also able to regrow limbs, should the original limbs of the newt become damaged. One theory as to why is this happens is that the chemicals that allow newts to regrow limbs, are the same as chemicals that produce tumors in other animals. These fast growing, and reproducing cells are thought to be very similar in both newts and tumors in other animals.

Due to loss of habitat and pollution, the newt populations throughout the world have been severely declining. Conservation effects in both the UK and the USA have led to the native newt populations being allowed to try and increase in number once again.

Monte Iberia Eleuth

True Wild Life | Monte Iberia Eleuth | The Monte Iberia Eleuth is a tiny species of frog that, as it's name suggests, is natively found in the woodlands around Mount Iberia. The Monte Iberia Eleuth is the smallest species of frog in the Northern Hemisphere and is the second smallest species of frog in the world behind the Brazilian Golden frog found in Brazil, average less than 1cm in length. The Monte Iberia Eleuth is a critically endangered animal that is confined to just two remote areas of forest in Cuba. The Monte Iberia Eleuth was first discovered on Mount Iberia in 1996, and populations are known to be very vulnerable as this frog is only found in very specific habitats that include areas of closed rainforest, with poorly drained soil and high levels of humidity.

The Monte Iberia Eleuth is a tiny black frog that can be easily identified by the bright yellow stripes that run along each side of the frog's back. Due to the fact that the head of the Monte Iberia Eleuth is about the same size as the head of a pin, this tiny frog has fewer teeth than larger frogs and is also thought to make more highly-pitched vocal calls. Only two isolated populations are known to exist, both in the Holguín Province of eastern Cuba at elevations under 600 meters. The first location is on top of the Monte Iberia tableland where the Monte Iberia Eleuth was first discovered. The second is smaller (less than 100 km²) and sparsely-occupied, near Nibujón at sea level. This area has suffered great disturbances over the past 40 years from human activities which has obviously led to drastic declines in Monte Iberia Eleuth population numbers.

Despite it's miniature size, the Monte Iberia Eleuth has a very similar diet to other small frogs, hunting and eating a wide range of invertebrates in the Cuban jungle. The Monte Iberia Eleuth feeds on insects, moths and spiders along with a number of semi-aquatic invertebrates when it is close to water. Due to it's small size, the Monte Iberia Eleuth has numerous predators within it's natural environment including birds, rodents, lizards, toads and even larger frogs. The Monte Iberia Eleuth is also an incredibly sensitive animal that is easily affected by changes to it's environment including pollution and deforestation.

Little is known about the reproduction of the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere, besides the fact that once hatched, the life-cycle of the Monte Iberia Eleuth is similar to that of other frogs turning from water-based tadpoles to ground-dwelling frogs. When the first Monte Iberia Eleuth frog was found, she was found next to a single egg which indicates that this species reproduces slowly as they don't lay hundreds of eggs at once. Today, the Monte Iberia Eleuth is considered to be an animal that is critically endangered in the wild and therefore population numbers are very low in the wild.

Marsh Frog

True Wild Life | Marsh Frog | The marsh frog is a medium, fairly colourful species of frog that natively found in Europe. The marsh frog is closely related to the edible frog and the pool frog, all three of which belong to the family of "green frogs" (the common frog belongs to the brown frog family). The marsh frog is the largest species of true frog native to Europe and is found in deep ponds, lakes, rivers and around streams across the continent. The range of the marsh frog is wider than it once was, as the marsh frog is also found in parts of western Asia and Russia and even in some areas in China and Pakistan.

The marsh frog is a very aquatic species of frog and has adapted well to a water-based life. As with other frogs, the toes of the marsh frog are webbed to both assist the marsh frog in swimming and when negotiating the slippery banks. The eyes of the marsh frog are also on top of it's head which means that they can be looking on the surface of the water while the body of the marsh frog is safely submerged. Marsh frogs are often easy frogs to identify due to their bright-green coloured skin and long hind legs. Marsh frogs are often medium sized frogs with females often growing to 17cm in length. The male marsh frog is often much smaller, maybe two thirds of the size of the female marsh frog.

As with many other amphibious animals, the marsh frog is a carnivore meaning that it only eats other animals in order to survive. Marsh frogs primarily feeds on small invertebrates in, on or close to water including various species of insect, spiders and moths. The relatively small size of the marsh frog and easily spotted green skin, means that the marsh frog has a number of predators within it's natural environment. Birds, large toads, fish, mammals and lizards all prey on the marsh frog.

Marsh frogs tend to breed in the early spring, when mating takes place in calm, shallow pools of water. The female marsh frog lays around 1,000 eggs in a sticky cluster that floats on the water's surface, known as frogspawn. Once developed the marsh frog tadpoles emerge into the water where they are fully aquatic until they metamorphose into adult marsh frogs and are able to leave the water. Today, although not in immediate danger of becoming extinct in the wild, the marsh frog populations are under increased threat due, primarily due to deforestation and pollution of their natural habitats.