The Amphibian Foundation's Frog Blog

Right here in Atlanta, we have huge black-purple salamanders with bright yellow spots — the Spotted Salamander! Background Spotted Salamanders are an incredible and secretive species, and even though they live right here in Atlanta, most people have never seen one. We are right in the middle of Spotted Salamander breeding season, so now is your chance ! Spotted Salamanders ( Ambystoma maculatum ) are an ephemeral wetland breeding amphibian, meaning they breed in seasonal pools (or puddles) that do not hold water (typically) for more than a few months. Most of them (as high as 90%) breed in the same puddle they were born! Unfortunately, there are not many of these puddles left in Atlanta, and we at AF have only been able to find 2 remaining populations inside the 285 perimeter. Spotted Salamanders are incredibly sensitive to habitat alteration and require a suitable ephemeral wetland, as well as upland habitat to persist. If there is a road or other obstruction in between where...

Our new Patreon promo image featuring the AF 'Power Team' of Gopher Frog, Striped Newt, and Flatwoods Salamander Don't worry, we will still be publishing regularly on amphibians, amphibian conservation, the Amphibian Foundation's programs, and all things slimy! We are simply moving our platform to Patreon , where our membership program lives. This will consolidate our messaging in one place, provide more opportunities to connect with us & get involved, and encourage our readers to get further involved as members. Most articles will still be accessible whether you sign up or not, though we hope you will join us at a level that works for you. In these trying times, our conservation initiatives rely on member support more than ever, and we couldn't have come this far without our local, regional, and global members! Our Patreon program also provides opportunities to join at the Partner Level , for those that would like to get deeper involved in conservation...

Me, rather excited about finding my first Spotted Salamander in Georgia (AWARE, Lithonia, GA) “Hi, I’m Tobias, the new Director of Research here at the Amphibian Foundation.”, I said to a new acquaintance at our headquarters at the Blue Heron Nature Preserve . She smiled and welcomed me to the building as though what I said to her was normal and not at all unbelievable.  My six year old self had a dream to be a ‘natural wildlife preserver’ which has essentially come true now, but not how you might think. I never really knew what I was doing or had a real career plan. My path has been indirect to put it mildly. Dropping out of high school is not a detour likely to get someone into academia. A lot of people wander through life and find themselves drawn back to nature and conservation. And here I am with a plan to start something for people like me who are off the beaten path.  There’s so many ways people get off track or leak out of the academic pipeline. If you love ...

As our beloved intern, Javiera returns home to Chile, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the four months that she spent with us as an International Research Intern. After receiving her Masters of Science from Tufts University in Conservation Medicine, Javiera came to work with us in amphibian conservation and collections husbandry projects. In our time working together, Javiera was an essential part of our team, made a tremendous impact on us and our collections, and we look forward to the time when we can work together again, either here or in Chile! Javiera sampling for Gopher Frogs at Alligator Creek Wildlife Management Area While she is fond of all things scaly and smily, she was particularly fond of the Mole Salamander , Ambystoma talpoideum Javiera and a Southern Cricket Frog , Acris gryllus at ACWMA Amanda (left), Javiera (center), and Abby (right) after the completion of moving the Striped Newt ( Notophthalmus perstriatus ) conservation collection into t...

Frosted Flatwoods Salamander ( Ambystoma cingulatum ). Photo by Pierson Hill This website, written by Dirk Stevenson and features Dirk's work as well as the work and photography of Pierson Hill — and incredible beautiful story crafted by Dirk's passion and experience and incredible photography. Take a minute to appreciate some of the species and habitat we are working so hard to protect. Visit Website

 These incredible moss mimics have one of the most beautiful and elaborate camouflages in the frog world.⁠ ⁠ These spectacular frogs were donated to #AF by the Tennessee Aquarium, a wonderful place where you can see them on exhibit.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #Frog #Frogs #Frogger #Froggy #FrogsOfInstagram #LeafFrog #LeafFrogs #TreeFrog #TreeFrogs #FrogLife #Crypsis #Mimicry #AmphibiousAF #AmphibianFound #FrogsNeedOurHelp