Lab 8 " Fearsome Frogs"

Who knew that a Bullfrog is a bully! I think I might have seen them down at a Verde River,by the "Burned down Ranch" or "Morgan Ranch" which ever term you are most familiar with, it is the same place. They sure did not looked like bullies to me. I was also not aware about cowboys having a taste for  big frogs!  And someones brilliant idea to introduce them Bullfrogs to a desert.

 Cowboys decided, that they do not want to waste their time corralling frogs around for a snack. They have cattle! So now no one in our desert want to eat this delicious treat. The treat it self thou has a big appetite and has no problem indulging on anything they see ( just not cowboys :) ). This frogs are fast moving, terrific swimmers, great long distance jumpers and HUNGRY. What do they eat? Everything that fits in to their big mouth.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bullfrog



 


Native Leopard frog been eaten down to
extinction, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_frog













same goes for a Mexican Garter snake

http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Snakes-Subpages/h-t-eques.html

Sonora Mud Turtle (Kinosternon sonoriense)
Adult Sonoran mud turtle. Photo by Jeff Lovich.

And Sonora Mud Turtle------>



They where living happily here, shared food and space, but here came Bullfrog.
Did you know that Bullfrog will eat their own offspring? They really do. So is scorpions, tarantulas, mice and anything that is in a jumps reach.
What can be done to reduce this Bullfrog feast? We can move them back to Louisiana, where they originally came from. Where the do have predators, like alligators and water birds to control frog population. Easy to say... How will we catch every one of them and scoop up all of their polliwogs to transfer them back to where they belong? Should we start introducing their predators to our ponds, rivers and lakes? Do you want to see an alligator in a Verde River? No? Me neither. What else will this new comers be eating? US ??? What should we do? I think we should slowly begin to eliminate them by serving them in a specialty restaurants as a delicacy. In Louisiana people do eat them. That was the original idea for bringing them here! Right?  Sell them as a nuggets, instead of chicken.
If you have any ideas or may have a solution for this problem, please do not hesitate and share it with us.
Bullfrog is not along, there are many other invasive species. Like a pack rat, squirrels, rabbits. If we eliminate coyotes, wolfs, mountain lions and hawks to eat them, they definitely can become overwhelming for a small area. And can establish( invade) this area with in months. Who else? How about humans! No, we do not eat our offspring and we do know how to reproduce responsibly, but we do inhabit every corner of this Earth, eat everything from plants to mammals to fowl,  and fish. Hmmmm..... There is something to think about!



References:

"American bullfrog." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 July 2014. Web. 6 July 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bullfrog>.        
 "Leopard frog." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 July 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_frog>.
 "Mexican Gartersnake (Thamnophis eques) - Reptiles of Arizona." Mexican Gartersnake (Thamnophis eques) - Reptiles of Arizona. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2014. <http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Snakes-Subpages/h-t-eques.html>.
By Thomas C. Brennan
Bartlett. 2000. Snakes of North America: Western Region. Gulf Publishing Co. Houston, TX

Brennan, T. C., and A. T. Holycross. 2006. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department. Phoenix, AZ

Brennan, T. C., and A. T. Holycross. 2005. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Maricopa County. Arizona Game and Fish Department. Phoenix, AZ

Degenhardt, W. G., Painter, C. W., and Price, A. H.. 1996. Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque.

Fowlie. 1965. The Snakes of Arizona. Azul Quinta Press, Fallbrook, California

Stebbins. 1985. Western Reptiles and Amphibians. Houghton Mifflin. New York, NY
"Fearsome Frogs." - National Geographic Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2014. <http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/fearsome-frogs/?ar_a=1>.
             
       http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/fearsome-frogs/?ar_a=1

"Mud Turtle Conservation and Management." Mud Turtle Conservation and Management. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2014. <http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/mudturtlemanagement.shtml>.
          
       http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/mudturtlemanagement.shtml