The Amphibian Foundation's Frog Blog

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 .

'Normal' Tadpole (left) and 'Cannibal Morph' of the Spadefoot Toad ( Scaphiopus ). The larger head morphology allows the developing larvae to go after a wider array of prey items, including Fairy Shrimp (center) ... and each other! A great summary of the larval phenomena of Phenotypic Plasticity ... one of the most dramatic forms is the Cannibal Morph , when normally omnivore/vegetarian tadpoles suddenly grow large teeth and an appetite to consume their siblings. The article contains some interview snippets from Amphibian Foundation Scientific Advisory Board member Susan Walls . Click here to read ...

Pierson Hill of the FWC and I standing outside the FRC, the solar powered research lab which serves as part of the Amphibian Research and Conservation Center . It is here where we have built captive propagation groups of Frosted Flatwoods Salamanders in an effort to reverse the profound declines the species is experiencing throughout its range. The majority of our stock were wild-collected as eggs by Pierson and his team in Apalachicola National Forest.

During April, as part of an on going research project, I was incredibly lucky to visit central Mexico in order to collect data and meet some partners in an unusual conservation project aiming to conserve the Critically Endangered Lake Patzcuaro Salamander , Ambystoma dumerilii .   A small film crew joined us on our visit, and since our return the story of this project has received international media coverage, which is great for Salamander conservation and awareness!    At the monastery. Chester Zoo conservationists Gerardo Garcia and Adam Bland work with Mexican NUNS to save a rare species of salamander The unusual twist on this project, which has lead to gaining lots of media attention, is the Monastery of Nuns which maintain the largest breeding colony of the species in captivity, and are likely highly responsible for this species continued existence since the population almost became extinct in Lake Patzcuaro due to introduced fish, ...