Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am situated atop a fairly steep hill on the borderline of a heavily housed area,the once lush woods now victim to development. Down the road to my right is some still fairly thick woods. Down the road to my left is the main road, across which is a large pond. Lately we've seen a suspicious number of frogs around. There are usually none (This is Newfoundland), especially considering I live in the suburbs. I live in the older area with a larger lot, and although there is a small clump of trees, there is no water to be seen. Can someone tell me where these frogs came from, and what I can do to help them? I find it highly unlikely that they crawled out of a pond, crossed heavy traffic intact, walked up a tall hill, and somehow found food and water. There may be a shallow pond down the road to my right, but how did they come up here, and live?

Thank you!
-Evan

P.S. I hear that the presence of frogs indicates purity in the air. Any truth in this?

Dear Evan:

Without knowing exactly where you are ‘on the rock’, I can’t determine for sure what is the exact frogs species that you’re talking about. (A list of Newfoundland amphibians can be found at the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network site (http://www.carcnet.ca/english/tour/b_10.html)

Frogs in fact do travel great distances, losing many of there fellow travellers crossing roads, as they do their fall migrations away from their breeding ponds. (See CARCNET item on Frog road fatalities and Amphibian migration theory at http://www.carcnet.ca/english/amph_tunnels.html)

Apparently, what you are witnessing is part of the ‘frog expansion’ that continues in Newfoundland – a situation that I envy you for since so many other areas are suffering a dramatic reduction in frog populations and range.

Not all the frogs in Newfoundland are ‘native’ species, and the story of how they came to the provence can be viewed at (http://www.fluvarium.ca/whatsnew.php?whatsnews=articles). Maybe you’re seeing one of these ‘introduced populations’ finally expanding into your area?

You do know that you can make a report to FrogWatch Newfoundland don’t you? (http://www.naturewatch.ca/english/frogwatch/nf/intro.html)

Cheers and Respects

Wes
Ottawa