Goliath Frog

The massive goliath frog (Conraua goliath), has greenish granular skin with a yellowish-orange underside, and the feet and hands are webbed. In a sample of 15 individuals, weights ranged between 600 grams and 3250 grams, and snout-vent lengths were between 17 and 32 cm. Their eyes can be nearly 2.5 cm in diameter. The conspicuous tympanum has a diameter of about 0.5 cm and is separated from the eye by about 5 cm in adults. The next largest extant anurans are the Cane toad, about a third smaller than the Goliath in the largest specimens, and the African bullfrog, which is just over half the size of the Goliath. Goliath frog eggs and tadpoles are about the same size as other frogs despite its very large adult form.

A lateral fold extends from the eye to the posterior portion of the tympanum. Toes are fully webbed, with large inter digital membranes extending down to the toe tips. The second toe is the longest. Dorsal coloration is green sienna, while the abdomen and ventral part of the limbs are yellow/orange. They have acute hearing but no vocal sac, and also lack nuptial pads.

   

 Did You Know

The goliath is the world's biggest frog with a body length of about one foot and weighing approximately 7 pounds! These frogs live in Western Africa along fast moving rivers that run through the rainforest.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Amphibia
Order	Anura
Family	Ranidae
Genus	Conraua

Other Names

English	Goliath Frog
French	Grenouille Geante
German	Goliath Frosch

Status

           The goliath frog is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List.

Population

           The IUCN sites goliath frogs as an endangered species because of a 50% decline in population size in the last three generations. The population studies been carried out and will be published soon. (Expected to be 1000 adults).

Habitat

It lives in or near fast-flowing rivers and streams in rainforest, preferring warmer, slower rivers than Conraua robusta, though faster rivers than C. crassipes. It can survive in secondary habitats close to rivers, as well as in forest, but not in very heavily degraded areas (farm bush). Breeding occurs in streams and small rivers. The young rest by flowing water during the day.

Range

        The world's largest frog is known only from south-western Cameroon from the region of Nkongsamba, and south to Monte Alen in mainland Equatorial Guinea. It is generally found at low to medium altitudes, below 1,000m asl.

Biology

Like most amphibians, water is vital for their reproduction. Because the goliath frog lacks a vocal sac, it does not produce mating calls, a behavior unusually absent among frogs and toads. Males construct spawning and breeding areas alongside and within rivers by pushing rocks into semicircular patterns. The egg masses consist of several hundred eggs, approximately 3.5 mm each, attached to vegetation at the bottom of rivers. Larval development takes between 85 and 95 days. Goliath tadpoles are vegetarian and feed on a single aquatic plant, Dicraeia warmingii, found only near waterfalls and rapids, which may help explain their restricted range. Adult goliath frogs feed on worms, and insects, such as dragonflies and locusts. They also eat smaller frogs, crabs, baby turtles, and young snakes. The goliath frog can live up to 15 years in the wild. In captivity, they can live up to 21 years. It is preyed upon by snakes, Nile crocodiles, and Nile monitors.

Threats

Much of the dense rainforest of the goliath frog's habitat has been deforested for timber and to make way for agriculture. The construction of dams also threatens the breeding habitat of these frogs and this species is particularly vulnerable to habitat alteration due to its highly restricted range. Additionally, goliath frogs are considered a delicacy and are collected by local people for food; their large size has also encouraged collection for the pet trade in the past.

Conservation Measures

The goliath frog is not currently protected under any trade restrictions and collection continues to threaten remaining populations. Captive breeding programmes have not proven successful and the only method of effectively preserving this amphibious giant is to safeguard areas of remaining habitat. It presumably occurs in several protected areas, and is confirmed from Monte Alen National Park in Equatorial Guinea. Measures are needed to work with local communities to manage the harvest at sustainable levels.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_frog

http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/Endangered/frog/frog.html

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibiens/goliath_frog

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/5263/0

The Great Bamboo Lemur

         Prolemur simusis the largest of the bamboo lemurs. A dense olive-brown coat covers the rounded body, whilst the under parts and tail are grey-brown in colour with a russet tinge. As well as its large size, the greater bamboo lemur can be recognised by the prominent pale grey or white ear tufts. However, a recently discovered population of this species has a strikingly different deep golden-red coat, and no ear tufts. The blunt muzzles of bamboo lemurs give their faces a more rounded appearance than other members of the family. They have relatively long tails and long back legs for leaping vertically amongst the trees of their forest habitat.

Did You Know

            It is not known how the Greater Bamboo Lemur’s metabolism deals with the cyanide found in the bamboo shoots which is their only food, their typical daily dose would be enough to kill humans.

Size relative to a 6-ft human

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Primates
Family	Lemuridae
Genus	Prolemur

Other Names

English	Broad-nosed Gentle Lemur, Greater Bamboo Lemur
French	Grand Hapalémur, Hapalémur Simien
Spanish	Lemur Cariancho

Status

          The Greater Bamboo Lemur is classified under Critically Endangered in the IUCN Redlist.

Population

            On current evidence, this species may have the smallest population size of any lemur on the island. Only about 12 groups, totalling less than 100 individuals, have been documented in over 20 years of regional surveys. During 400 days of census work in Ranomafana, only three groups in total have been detected (with a maximum of 20 individuals confirmed).

Habitat

            Greater bamboo lemurs are found in primary and degraded eastern humid forests of Madagascar, and are usually found in areas with large woody bamboo. Occasionally they are found in degraded habitats without bamboo. The range of forests in which they occur ranges from large protected areas down to small forest fragments. The newly discovered population at Torotorofotsy inhabit marshland, a new habitat type for the species. The greater bamboo lemur has been sighted at elevations ranging from 121 m to 1600 m (397.0 to 5249.3 ft).

Range

            Sub fossil remains confirm that this species once had a widespread distribution in Madagascar that covered the northern, north-western, central and eastern portions of Madagascar. Today, the species has a much diminished range in the south-eastern and south-central rainforests of Madagascar and is estimated that P. simus now occupies only about 1-4% of its historical range, reported confirmed sightings of Greater Bamboo Lemurs in only 11 of 70 survey localities.

Biology

          This species is associated with forests abundant in giant bamboo. It subsists predominantly on bamboo, but its diet includes seven plant species representing three different families. In Ranomafana National Park, the bamboo Cathariostachys madagascariensis can account for as much as 95% of the diet, with shoots, young and mature leaves, and pith being consumed. Observations of wild populations and animals in captivity suggest that this species is cathemeral, active both during the day and at night throughout the year. They live in polygamous groups that can occupy home ranges of 40-60 ha or more. Mating begins in May or June, with infants typically born in October and November. Females usually give birth to a single young each year.

Threats

            The rainforests of Madagascar are being widely cleared by slash-and-burn techniques and this habitat destruction is one of the major threats to the survival of the greater bamboo lemur. Bamboo is also being cleared in some areas, and this lemur is targeted by hunters in other regions. The known range of the greater bamboo lemur is highly restricted and this implies further threats to survival.

Conservation Measures

            The greater bamboo lemur is protected within two areas in Madagascar, however, even within Ranomafana National Park the native trees are being exploited and this species is at risk. Further research into these little-known lemurs is urgently needed and more extensive surveys of the area may well reveal further isolated populations in need of protection.

References

http://www.junglewalk.com/popup.asp?type=s&AnimalWebsiteID=2358

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/photogalleries/animal-photo/photo3 html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_bamboo_lemur

http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/greater_bamboo_lemur/taxon

http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=24

Christmas Frigate Bird

The Christmas frigate bird is a very large, mostly black seabird with a glossy green sheen to feathers of the head and back. Females are larger than males; they have a white breast and belly, a narrow white collar around the lower neck and a whitish bar across the upperwing. Males are dark all over apart from a white patch on the lower abdomen. They have a red gular pouch, which becomes more vibrant in the breeding season and is inflated during mating displays. Juveniles have more mottled feathers on their upper-parts, a pale fawn head, white throat and a russet necklace. They take around four years to gain adult plumage.

Did You Know

           These rare seabirds are known to forage for food up to hundreds, and sometimes thousands of kilometers away from their colony. One has been documented undertaking a non-stop, 26-hour flight, covering 4000 km flying from Christmas Island via Sumatra and Borneo then back. They are also known for aerial piracy from Sea Bobbies. 

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Pelecaniformes
Family	Fregatidae
Genus	Fregata
Species	Fregata andrewsi

Other Names

English	Andrew's Frigatebird
French	Frégate d'Andrews

Status

The Christmas frigatebird is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List 2007, and listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Population

          The most recent population census indicates a population of 2,400-4,800 mature individuals (2003), roughly equivalent to 3,600-7,200 individuals in total.

Habitat

        Although these birds do not settle on the water, they inhabit the open ocean, returning to land only to roost and breed. Both nesting and roosting occur on a small area of Christmas Island, in tall forest close to the shore. Nesting sites are preferentially in the lee of the prevailing southeast winds

Range

The Christmas frigate bird is found in the northeast Indian Ocean, these birds are only known to breed on Christmas Island. The distribution of birds at sea is not well documented but they may wander widely and are known from the coasts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and northern Australia.

Biology

Males Christmas frigate birds begin their mating displays in late December, inflating their scarlet throat pouches during courtship. Egg laying occurs between March and May and nests are positioned high in tall forest trees. A single egg is laid and both parents take it in turns during the 50 to 54 day incubation period; fledglings can remain dependent on their parents for six to seven months after their first flight.

The Christmas frigate bird feeds mainly on flying fish and cephalopods (such as squid), which are scooped from the surface of the water. A proportion of its food is obtained by harassing other seabirds such as red-footed boobies, until they are forced to regurgitate their meal.

Threats

          Habitat destruction and human predation have been the major causes of population decline in the past; dust pollution from phosphate mine driers caused one major nesting site to be abandoned. Dust suppression equipment has since been installed and human predation has ceased since this species has been protected. Birds that have been displaced in the past may now be using sub-optimal habitat, which could pose a threat to their survival. The Christmas frigate bird is confined to a few breeding colonies on a single island and this, together with their low reproductive rate, makes the population alarmingly vulnerable to any chance event.

       A possible threat is the introduced yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipeswhich formed super-colonies during the 1990s and spread rapidly to cover about 25% of the island or about 3,400 ha. Control measures have so far been unable to eradicate this non-native species, but to date frigate birds have not apparently been adversely affected by them. However, ant super-colonies alter island ecology by killing the dominant life-form, the red crab Gecaroidea natalis, and by farming scale insects which damage the trees, which could be a reason for population decline.

Conservation Measures

          CITES Appendix I. Listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Christmas Island National Park was established in 1980, and has since been extended to include two of the three current breeding colonies (90% of the population). A recovery plan has been completed and a study using satellite telemetry to study movements has been underway since 2005. A control programme for A. gracilipes was initiated after 2000, including aerial baiting in 2002, and effectively eliminated the ant from 2,800 ha of forest (95% of its former extent). However, the ant population continued to increase, covering upwards of 500 ha by 2006. Despite continued control efforts, ants remained persistent in 2009, and perpetual baiting may be the only means of controlling them. Efforts are underway to find alternative bait that is not toxic to invertebrates on the island. Plans have been established to control the scale bugs that the ants tend for their sugar secretions in order to reduce this food supply, but there remains no evidence that they are adversely affecting frigate bird colonies.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Frigatebird

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3847

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/society/fight-for-the-christmas-island-frigatebird.htm

http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_ID=1175

http://www.christmas.net.au/parks/birds/birds_of_christmas_island.htm