Amphibians, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2005

Convergent Evolution in Poison Frogs

Scientists have discovered one of the most intricate examples of convergent evolution with the help of South American poison frogs and ants and their cousins in Madagascar. (And here's an odd fact for smokers: one Madagascan frog studied was found to have nicotine in its system!) Poison frogs can't make...

Apr 30, 2006

Frog Hops Back into Existence

Survivors of a frog species that was thought to be extinct have been found. The survivors, discovered in the mountains of Columbia, might be the last holdouts of the painted frog (Atelopus ebenoides marinkellei). Scientists are now racing to protect them. Other clutches of the frogs have suffered a lethal...

Dec 31, 2006

Beavers Could Be Frogs Best Friends

Beavers' stream-clogging ways may be pesky to humans, but their dams might be just what some frogs and toads need to survive in their dwindling wetland habitats, a new study concludes. Cam Stevens of the University of Alberta and his colleagues conducted a survey of the calls of male frogs...

Aug 31, 2008

Ancient Amphibian Had Enormous Teeth

A prehistoric predator that looked like a big crocodile paddled around the Antarctic region 240 million years ago, sporting sizable fangs not only along the edge of its mouth but also halfway down the roof of its mouth. The newly described freshwater species, Kryostega collinsoni, is a temnospondyl, a once-diverse...

Apr 30, 2008

Frogs Go Ultrasonic for Sex

Keep the racket down, I’m trying to find a mate! That could be the plea of nocturnal Chinese tree frogs, which have developed unique, high-frequency vocal skills to make themselves heard by potential mates in their noisy habitat. The frogs' sounds are no mere ribbits, but ultrasound squeaks designed to...

Jun 30, 2009

Nearly Extinct California Frog Rediscovered

For the first time in nearly 50 years, a population of a nearly extinct type of frog has been rediscovered in California’s San Bernardino National Forest. The rare mountain yellow-legged frog was re-found when biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and scientists from the San Diego Natural History Museum...

Mar 31, 2009

Tiny Newfound Frog Fits on a Fingertip

A tiny, midget frog that can fit on the tip of a finger — and previously only known by its croaking — has finally been found by researchers. The frog, dubbed Noble’s Pygmy frog (Noblella pygmaea), is the smallest ever found in the Andes and one of the tiniest amphibians...

Feb 28, 2009

Photos: The New Amphibian Tree of Life

Scientists revise outdated taxonomy (Image credit: Credit: Taran Grant, AMNH)Six American Museum of Natural History biologists, including Darrel Frost, and 13 colleagues have completed the largest analysis ever of the evolutionary relationships among all living amphibians, a project so ambitious that it also represents the largest analysis of its kind...

Feb 28, 2009

Irish Frogs Survived Ice Age

Ireland is not known for its wildlife, as much of it was wiped out in the Ice Age. But the single species of frog that lives on the Emerald Isle apparently toughed it out during that extreme climate event while the same type of frog back on the British mainland...

Jul 31, 2010

Mug Shots: 10 Lost Amphibians

Lost Amphibians Gastric Brooding frog (Rheobatrachus silus). (Image credit: John Wombey/ARKive/Conservation International.)Scientists are on the look-out for lost amphibians animals considered possibly extinct but that may be holding on in a few remote places. There may be up to 100 of them hiding in the world's forests. Here are just...

Jul 31, 2010

'Ribbit Radio' Helping to Root Out Frog-census Errors

You may not be able to catch any tunes on Ribbit Radio, but the system itself will help catch errors in a survey of frogs and other amphibians throughout North America. The survey, started by the U.S. Geological Survey and called the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program, relies on volunteers...

Jun 30, 2011

Treatments for Deadly Frog Fungus Show Promise

The deadly frog fungus that has wiped out amphibian species across the globe may be contained with several innovative strategies, according to scientists who reviewed the effectiveness of all available strategies. However, the researchers warn it is still too soon to recommend the treatments, as the fungus may develop a...

Mar 23, 2015

In Photos: Giant Amphibian Ruled Ancient Rivers

Researchers have discovered a mass graveyard filled with the bones of a giant amphibian that lived between 220 million and 230 million years ago in what is today southern Portugal. Here's a look at the dig site, bones and what the creature would have looked like so long ago. Images...

Nov 19, 2015

'Flying' Tadpoles & Fleeing Fish Win Prestigious Photo Contest

What does the world look like to a tadpole? That's what one photographer recently asked before jumping into a canal to capture the baby amphibian's perspective on camera. The photo he took came out swimmingly, earning him first place in a photography competition hosted by the Royal Society, London. The...

Nov 3, 2016

Tadpoles Prefer Vegetarian Meals During Heat Waves

When it's just too darn hot, amphibian young adapt by changing their diet, weathering heat with vegetarian fare. In a new study, tadpoles representing three frog species were exposed to mock heat waves in the laboratory to test how amphibians in the wild might respond to warmer-than-average conditions due to...