Amphibian Care » amphibian habitat

Bullfrog Ballet

admin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:44:03 +0000

Frogs Forever? … only if we leap in to save them. There’s a global crisis facing amphibians — frogs, toads and salamanders — they’re vanishing before our very eyes.

Bullfrog Ballet

Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are native to the eastern North America, from Canada as far south as Florida, but they’re invading British Columbia, where the Vancouver Aquarium is located. They were introduced here in the early 1900s by people wanting to farm them for their legs.

As you can see, they’ll eat just about anything that will fit into their mouth. They can easily tip the delicate balance of nature in places where they are not naturally found.

Ironically this widely introduced species is disappearing in Ontario, Canada — part of its natural range.

See these frogs in person at the Vancouver Aquarium

http://www.vanaqua.org/

It’s a global crisis

We could lose up to one-half of the world’s 6,000 known amphibian species in our lifetime, resulting in the single largest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

We’re losing them to habitat destruction, pollution that includes household chemicals and pesticides, climate change, and over-harvesting for food, but the most deadly cause is a disease called the chytrid fungus.

It’s a crisis that has sparked the Vancouver Aquarium to take action.

“Frogs Forever?” a new exhibit at the Aquarium trains the spotlight on the plight of the world’s frogs, with tips on how we can help save them.

It’s part of the global initiative to save frogs launched by Amphibian Ark (a coalition of research and conservation groups that include zoo and aquariums), which has declared 2008 The Year of the Frog.

Duration : 0:2:11

Vivarium

admin — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:30:06 +0000

I’m looking into starting my own vivarium and terrarium construction company and am just wondering if anybody would be intrested in buying a pre-made tank like this one I just finished?

Duration : 0:0:45

NEODYMIUM PET LIGHT BULB 60 WATTS A19 REPTILE LAMP SPECTRA BRITE LONG LIFE

admin — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:21:02 +0000

NEODYMIUM 60 WATT A19 PET LAMP OPERATES IN STANDARD HOUSEHOLD FIXTURES AND PET HABITATS WITH LONG LIFE 5,000 HOURS AND FULL SPECTRUM COLOR – Spectra Brite Pet Lamps are coated with rare earth neodymium to enhance the colors of reptiles, small mammals, birds, and amphibians. Designed to emit heat that simulates sunlight, these full spectrum pet light bulbs provide a natural photo environment for a reptile’s habitat while emitting beneficial UVB wavelengths. With lifespans up to 10,000 hours, Bulborama pet bulbs provide an ideal heat source for all reptiles, keeping pets feeling healthy in their natural cozy habitat.

Mountain Chicken Frog Endangered Species for ReptilesTV

admin — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:22:02 +0000

Considered one of the world’s largest frogs, it reaches lengths of eight inches and weighs up to two pounds.
Dr. Paul Reillo gives Nigel Marven a tour of their Mountain Chicken Frog breeding project and discusses the issues causing this amazing amphibian to be threatened in their natural habitat. For more go to: http://www.reptilestv.com or http://www.rarespecies.org

Duration : 0:5:24

Exo Terra Expedition Uganda 2005

admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:37:03 +0000

The 2005 Exo Terra Ugandan Expedition was a resounding success! The eleven team members returned safely from their 15-day expedition to Uganda, where they studied the reptile and amphibian fauna in their natural habitat. The team, headed by Emmanuel Van Heygen (product manager for Exo Terra), experienced many exciting adventures — bringing back some great stories and even more amazing movies and photographs.

Duration : 0:2:6

2008: Year of the Frog Campaign

admin — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:16:14 +0000

Watch the High Definition version of this video at:

www.vimeo.com/merumontanus

Or watch here on Youtube and click on “watch in high quality” in the options below the video.

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Having been around for approximately 350 million years, amphibians have witnessed the dinosaurs come and go, and as a result of pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, over-exploitation for food and the pet trade, almost half of all amphibians are now themselves facing extinction.

Apart from natural and man-made environmental pressures, frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and caecilians are vanishing as a result of a fungus that is spreading rapidly among the world’s amphibian populations. It is believed that the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) originated in Africa, and has already spread throughout all continents except Asia and the poles.

Currently, more than 90 species are affected by the fungus– this, combined with other environmental factors mentioned above, are responsible for what may be the most devastating mass extinction of a class of animals since the disappearance of the dinosaurs 64 million years ago.

In the last two decades, we have lost over 120 species of amphibians, and we could lose more than half of the existing 6000 species in only ten years if the trend continues. This could have disastrous effects on the planet’s equilibrium as amphibians are a critical component of our world’s biodiversity.

Apart from providing us with vital biomedicines currently being refined for antibiotics and analgesics, amphibians are indicators of environmental health, acting as “canaries in a coal mine”– alerting us of dangerous changes in our environment.

For more information regarding the current state of amphibian populations, or to help manage the current extinction crisis, visit Amphibian Ark at amphibianark.org.

Jump in. Because frogs matter.

For more on the issue: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3743682.stm

Duration : 0:1:26

Hermit Crab Cove Habitat

admin — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:51:03 +0000

Habitat

Scott's Natural Habitat

admin — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:50:02 +0000

I handed my granddaughter a disposable video camera and asked her to make some videos for me. So she made this Discovery Channel-like natural habitat spoof of her cousin Scott's fascination with online videos.

Duration : 1 min 13 sec

Oregon Spotted Frog tagging

admin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:36:01 +0000

The Oregon spotted frog, found only in the Pacific Northwest, is a little frog with big problems. Its population has declined sharply over the past two decades. Leading amphibian expert, Kelly McAllister, shows us the last space where the endangered Oregon spotted frogs reside. McAllister explains the fragility and the value of the habitat and why people should pay attention to amphibians. “… a lot of these species were neglected for decades and decades while all the glamour species; the games species, commercially important species… were receiving lots of attention…”

Duration : 0:7:10

FIRE SALAMANDER

admin — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:50:11 +0000

Salamanders are one of the oldest groups of existing terrestrial vertebrates.

Salamanders are amphibians, related to frogs and toads. Because of their secretive nature and nocturnal lifestyle, salamanders are one of the least studied groups of animals. They love dark, wet places, often in deep woods, which is one reason why salamanders are the subjects of numerous myths and legends.

Traditional folklore held that salamanders could survive in fire.

Salamanders are extremely sensitive to changes in their ecosystems, and the health of local salamander populations often mirrors the health of the habitat as a whole.

Duration : 0:7:50