Being something of a very educated man in the world of amphibians but admittedly with my finger of the proverbial pulse in recent times I got a bit confused at this report.
Dancing frogs is what the BBC report calls these things but when I resting about this seemingly unusual dancing behavior it started to become somewhat ... familiar!
Although the frogs in the picture look different to the family of frogs I think they are related to they look more like something related to another, Epipidobates of South America which are plain cousins to the Poison Arrow Frogs, or Poison Frogs, of the Dendrobates groups, many renamed now, of South America?
The odd thing is the behavior they refer to as 'dancing' I think is nothing of the kind, until I have looked into it further. I believe these are types of Semaphore Frogs and the genus I am familiar with are Staurois. These wave they legs about while arising their toes to reveal a turquoise blue webbing because they bred near noisy waterfalls. So body in fact that it renders any vocalization completely useless and therefore they evolved, or learned, to use the blue webbing to advertise themselves. Hence the name Semaphore Frog and the same name as those guys that work on an aircraft carrier signaling to pilots on manoeuvering their jet fighter?
These little guys of the Staurois genus ate in a short list of amphibians that ate fascinating top me but never had the privilege of seeing them, let alone breeding them!
Still whatever the case let's hope they have the initiative, not just the titles, to save the frogs?
Which reminds me if a little report recently in a bespatter regarding Aesculapian Snakes in Camden.
Bloody late yet Anson they state that this is a new colony just appeared of 60 snakes?!
First off ... err NO!! This coming I have been hearing about for bloody years! Secondly do not be stupid enough to write how many there are?! Jesus!
Thirdly, and this is the one I like the most, locals (or likely naive old ladies with dogs the size of rats that make a lot of noise while trembling in a sift breeze) want them exterminated?! Worse still is that there is a decision to be made on this letter in the year?!
Oh my bloody God!!
Oops and here is the big problem, make your fecking minds up about governing alien species in this country because not long ago I was surprised to hear that Ring Necked Parakeets ate now listed as a British species due to the amount of time they have been here?!
First of all this is stupid! No they should not be wiped out like some believe but they are not and never will be a British Bird because they never arrived here naturally!
Despite the Aesculapian Snakes being non-native these should not, I repeat NOT be exterminated!
Now let me clear something up right now? I have been feed up with the decisions many idiots have made over the years and believe me I have meet at least one of them and brain of Britain they certainly are not! There ate all these fines for very silly and nonsensical acts regarding the raster British amphibians and reptiles, asking with many other animals. You cannot sit their handing out preposterous fines for simply 'disturbing' animals with one hand while using the other to wipe out an entire colony!
It's complete hypocrisy!
Also it is very, very difficult to decide what I'd native and what is not because our records simply do not go back far enough. Bird watchers refer to alien species as plastic. An odd choice of word considering that many other things could be 'plastic' and they just do not know?!
Half the fish species or more could be alien because it is very common for fish eggs, and even amphibian eggs, to be carried upon the feet of birds!
This is no different to the man who inadvertently introduced Midwife Toads, Alytes obstetricans, to Bedford around 1882 when some males carrying eggs, yes they are called that for a reason, came in with a load of Asparagus from France.
We are part of the animal kingdom are we not?
However this seems to go out of the window as do the rules when the authorities decide whether or not they want to play God or flex their muscles when others show a keen interest in things. I will never get over then stating on the program coast about how you bed a license to hold a Natterjack Toad?! I literally burst out laughing and was tempted to email in and ask if an average person would die from doing so or if the toads explode if not held correctly?!
Lmao!
