Frogs in Europe: The Decline of Amphibians

[Huckleberry]

Now that I think about it, I've never had any of those things. For all I know, they could all taste like chicken.

 

[JamesU]

have they defined where the pops started, ventral side, dorsal side, anteior, etc.?

 

[Moonbear]

Not in anything I've read yet. There was one picture that looks like the abdomen just split wide open.

 

[JamesU]

Is this happening to lat of frogs? And is it all in one area?

 

[stoned]

Is this happening to lat of frogs? And is it all in one area?

check original link in my first post. it is happening in Hamburg and now in few places in Denmark.from what I know and I lived in Hamburg water in that lake is very clean.

 

[Danger]

What other spices have enterd your toad diet?

I don't eat 'em; I just find that the secretion adds to the tequila kick. Why waste time by licking the toad, and then the salt off your hand, then doing the shot? Save a step and just pre-salt the toad. It's pure genius of efficiency.

I like my exploding frogs with fava beans and a nice chianti.

It's a good thing that Hypatia explained that to me when she used it last month. I never saw the movie.

have they defined where the pops started, ventral side, dorsal side, anteior, etc.?

Or backside? This wouldn't be an epidemic of infectious constipation, would it?

 

[JamesU]

Or backside? This wouldn't be an epidemic of infectious constipation, would it?

Allrriigghht then! posterior...

 

[DocToxyn]

Toads are the dry, bumpy things and frogs are the moist, smooth-skinned things. We'll have to wait for DocToxyn to show up in the morning to get more info on frogs vs toads (he's the one who's into ectotherms, so he might know more about distinguishing features and whether toads are always land-dwelling or if some species would be in ponds outside of a breeding season).

Wow, finally caught up to this thread (a neuroscience retreat on friday with a great talk by Pasko Rakic and the ensuing weekend slowed me down). So here's my thoughts.

In the articles I have seen they don't give a scientific name (damn lay press ), but most of the articles state "toads" and the one picture was surely a toad (although that could have been any stock photo). As far as the difference between toads and frogs, in general most frogs can't stand dry conditions as well as toads so they stay much closer to water sources than toads do. However toads do require water sources for reproduction just like their slimier cousins. Some of the prettiest anuran (frogs and toads) calls I have heard are from American toads, Bufo americana (see how easy it is!), calling from flooded grass fields and ponds. This reproductive strategy is practiced by the other members of the amphibian family such as salamanders and newts, also found mostly "on land" during most of their lives.

As far as the exploding issue, I agree with many of the points already raised in this thread. My thoughts would be to take some of the toads out of the pond and see if they continue to suffer these episodes in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Perhaps even chemically ovulate and fertilize, to look at developmental conditions which factor into the phenomena- feed back wild-caught food items, place reared frogs in water from affected sites, etc. It is a rather disturbing condition and hopefully will be understood quickly.

 

[ricin]

Hopefully the legs don't go to waste. That's the best part of a frog.

 

[Moonbear]

Wow, finally caught up to this thread (a neuroscience retreat on friday with a great talk by Pasko Rakic and the ensuing weekend slowed me down).

Pasko gives great talks!

How dare they hold a retreat so close to the SFN abstract deadline! Don't they know everyone needs to spend every last waking moment (and possibly a good portion of their sleeping moments) in the lab getting the data together for their abstracts? Though, I somehow don't feel motivated to get an abstract into go to D.C. in November. What were they thinking? November meetings are supposed to be in warm places! Plus, my friends who lived near there just moved away, so I can't even go visit them while there.

Okay, back to toads...
Yes, I was thinking the same thing; take some of the live toads off to the lab and find out if removing them from the environment removes the problem, and then work backward from there.

 

[DocToxyn]

Pasko gives great talks!

Yes he does, quite entertaining.

Though, I somehow don't feel motivated to get an abstract into go to D.C. in November. What were they thinking? November meetings are supposed to be in warm places! Plus, my friends who lived near there just moved away, so I can't even go visit them while there.

Well I hope this doesn't push you out of submitting, but I doubt if I'll be there . The small amount of neurotox I have going (most of what I am currently doing is developmental/ligand/receptor work) is literally still in it infancy (the mice are still growing up!). There's not much of a chance of a solid abstract by the deadline. Perhaps next year.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Linda Howe, a popular reporter and investigator of fringe news stories, is following up on this story. Sometimes I think she does a good job on this stuff. And, IMO, other times she goes right over the edge. Anyway, FYI.

http://www.earthfiles.com/

 

[Moonbear]

Linda Howe, a popular reporter and investigator of fringe news stories, is following up on this story. Sometimes I think she does a good job on this stuff. And, IMO, other times she goes right over the edge. Anyway, FYI.

http://www.earthfiles.com/

Well, of course they aren't finding livers in the toads if they're looking between the shoulders, as she describes in the article. It may have been a while since I dissected a frog, but the location of the liver doesn't vary much from species to species, it's always nice and large, the first thing you see when you open up the abdominal cavity (and the first thing the students cut right through in their dissections). So, far from being on the dorsal side between the shoulders, it's on the ventral side. Getting to the liver from a dorsal approach would probably kill the toad quickly as you would have to go through every other major organ to get to it.

 

[Evo]

This suggests that the toads can live without livers "birds attack toads eating their liver, the toads survive, wound closes, gases develop inside toads, making them swell until they burst". Are toads that different?

 

[DocToxyn]

This suggests that the toads can live without livers "birds attack toads eating their liver, the toads survive, wound closes, gases develop inside toads, making them swell until they burst". Are toads that different?

Not as far as I know. That whole last section is very confusing. The liver theory that Moonbear addresses is just weird. I thought perhaps the liver could be displaced to the dorsal position following the swelling, but it goes on to say that the liver removal precipitates the swelling, so no luck there. To Evo's point, how the removal of the liver, let alone any organ, can cause "blood vessels and lungs to burst" is beyond me. Also the entire article cites cane toads, Bufo marinus (more commonly called marine toads), as the species affected, however the drawing which accompanies the article is labled european toad, Bufo bufo. All these issues do not inspire much confidence in this reporting.

 

[Danger]

Aren't these things extinct yet? Seems to me that exploding is a little counter-Darwinian.

Maybe the reason that they aren't finding livers is because they're situated such that they get projected farther away when eruption occurs. That doesn't seem likely given that Moonbear places them ventrally and the picture shows a dorsal rupture point, but the only other explanation that I can think of is that whatever is causing the blasts is also disintegrating the organs.

 

[arildno]

Where has Smurf been lately (geographically speaking that is)?
Can ass-kicking induce explosion?

 

[Moonbear]

Aren't these things extinct yet? Seems to me that exploding is a little counter-Darwinian.

Maybe the reason that they aren't finding livers is because they're situated such that they get projected farther away when eruption occurs. That doesn't seem likely given that Moonbear places them ventrally and the picture shows a dorsal rupture point, but the only other explanation that I can think of is that whatever is causing the blasts is also disintegrating the organs.

It could also be that after the frog explodes, it makes it a lot easier for the scavengers to pluck out a tasty liver. I dunno, that article is just way too fishy to give any credibility, and given Ivan's initial disclaimer about the author, I don't think I'm going to buy into this one.

 

[JamesU]

Maybe it's something the frogs ingested.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It could also be that after the frog explodes, it makes it a lot easier for the scavengers to pluck out a tasty liver. I dunno, that article is just way too fishy to give any credibility, and given Ivan's initial disclaimer about the author, I don't think I'm going to buy into this one.

Thanks Moonbear and Doc. One never knows about Howe... I didn't have a chance to read this one yet, but based on your reactions it sounds like this is one of those over the edge reports. So even her frog reports are toadish?

 

[stoned]

i'm tellin you people it is the end of the world! frogs, tsunami, iraq, bush miracolously survived bomb what else you want to know ? anyday now.

 

[JamesU]

i'm tellin you people it is the end of the world! frogs, tsunami, iraq, bush miracolously survived bomb what else you want to know ? anyday now.

People thought 2001 was the end of the world

http://www.negativespin.com/images2/2001globe.jpg

But maybe...YOU"RE RIGHT! AAAHHH! SAVE MONA LISA!

http://www.fantasticfictionimages.co.uk/images/n2/n10006.jpg

 

[Mk]

i'm tellin you people it is the end of the world! frogs, tsunami, iraq, bush miracolously survived bomb what else you want to know ? anyday now.

lol, I can't believe a broken hand grenade that hit someone in the back of the head 30 metres away made the news.

 

[Danger]

lol, I can't believe a broken hand grenade that hit someone in the back of the head 30 metres away made the news.

I, among several, am severely pissed off at the guy for missing.

 

[JamesU]

Did they find who did it?

 

[stoned]

Did they find who did it?

they will for sure, and guess who would that be ?? one of Osama Bin Laden al Qaida terrist, or maybe someone with Iran connections ? USA wants war with Iran, I bet they going to blame Iran.