The Amphibian Foundation's Frog Blog

In 2019, the Memphis Zoo and the Amphibian Foundation began collaborating on a project to further conserve the Gopher Frog , Rana ( Lithobates ) capito , through a Memphis Zoo Conservation Action Network (CAN) Grant . The grant was aimed at supporting the expansion of both the in situ and ex situ research initiatives developing at the Amphibian Foundation, and we are extremely grateful for the zoo's support in this project. In situ Goals Gopher Frog summit @ AF 2018 Amphibian Foundation staff serve on the Gopher Frog Task Team , which is an ad hoc interstate group of agencies and institutions dedicated to conserving this imperiled species throughout its range. The team targets populations in need of conservation and augmentation, as well as identifying areas in need of restoration to support wild populations of the species. We are happy for the opportunity to contribute in this talented and passionate group. In a task team meeting, we identified Alligator Cree...

We can once again confirm that the Frosted Flatwoods Salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum , is not extinct in Georgia, though we did not find many (yet) in our surveys of the last known population of the species on the East Coast — Fort Stewart Army Base, Liberty County, GA. Larval Flatwoods Salamanders are typically the target of field surveys, as they are difficult to detect in adult and egg stages. Larval Flatwoods Salamander, in situ For some background on the species status and conservation efforts, see previous blog articles on the topic here . Tobias, the Director of Research at the Amphibian Foundation, showing off the first Flatwoods Salamander he has ever detected in the wild. Ben Stegenga of the Orianne Society came to help survey. Here he is detecting his very first Flatwoods Salamander larvae. We know how he feels :) Always nice to see Little Grass Frogs , Pseudacris ocularis In situ Stegenga Occasionally, Southern Cricket Frog...

Larval Spotted Salamanders are killed by a common mosquito repellent, an ironic twist given that these amphibians prey upon mosquitoes as a major component of their diet. Read the article here , and the published research from the Royal Society here .

Our outdoor captive propagation facility. 33 mesocosms (artificial and experimentally controllable wetlands) help us to breed and rear imperiled native amphibian species like Flatwoods Salamanders, Striped Newts, and Gopher Frogs⁠ ⁠ ... plus many others⁠ ⁠