By: Debra Cunningham

Long ago, more than 400

million years ago, in

what humans call the

Devonian period, Fergie

Frog’s ancestor, Leo

Loberman, lived

peacefully with his

family in a freshwater

pool and swam in its

adjoining streams.

www.abdn.ac.uk/.../coelancanth/coelacanth.jpg

One day, after a long

dry spell, Leo

noticed the pools

and streams were

drying up. The water

was evaporating!

“Oh, horrors!”

exclaimed Leo.

“Where will we live

when all the water

is gone?”

Afraid that he and his Afraid that he and his

family would become family would become

homeless and their homeless and their

species would die out, species would die out,

Leo called a meeting of Leo called a meeting of

the local elders, and a the local elders, and a

special guest . . .special guest . . .

… … Dr. Lola, a renowned Dr. Lola, a renowned

medical genius, to medical genius, to

discuss possible discuss possible

solutions for their solutions for their

impending impending

homelessness and homelessness and

eventual destruction.eventual destruction.

THE SECRET REVEALEDTHE SECRET REVEALED SURPRISE!SURPRISE!

ImagineImagine the elders’ surprise

when Dr. Lola told them of a

long-kept secret. Dr. Lola

showed the crowd an x-ray

that revealed that the paired,

paddle-like fins of lobe-finned

fish contain appendages for

walking on land.

““However”, said Dr. Lola However”, said Dr. Lola

“there is a “there is a catchcatch. If you . If you

push your legs and feet push your legs and feet

out through your paddle-out through your paddle-

like fins, your tails will like fins, your tails will

disappear.” The anxious disappear.” The anxious

crowd conferred and crowd conferred and

decided that trading decided that trading

their tails for legs was their tails for legs was

little price to pay for little price to pay for

their safety and their their safety and their

lives.lives.

Thus, Leo’s

ancestors traded

their tails for legs.

They evolved into

modern amphibians,

like Fergie, and lived

happily ever after.

Thus, Fergie

Frog enjoys all

the ups and

downs (pun

intended) of

life on land.

www2.muw.edu/~dmc1/PORTFOLIO

Fergie would love to share the story of Fergie would love to share the story of his birth. Click on his birth. Click on life cycle of a froglife cycle of a frog..

Also check out an online tutorial, an Also check out an online tutorial, an edition of Fergie’s favorite newsletter, edition of Fergie’s favorite newsletter, FROG FOCUSFROG FOCUS, and some of his other , and some of his other favorite Internet sites, such as:favorite Internet sites, such as:

http://www.allaboutfrogs.org http://www.houstonzoofrogs.org/6things/ www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/amphibians/

frogs.shtml