Newts Letter 41 Summer 2006

8/7/2019 Newts Letter 41 Summer 2006

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Newtsletter 41. Summer 2006

Our new SARG blog:

http://sussexamphibianandeptilegroup.blogspot.com/

Drought orders

A drought order is a severe sanction water firms can impose after a hosepipe ban. Itoutlaws the use of hosepipes for any purpose, including washing windows or filling a

paddling pool.

Those with private swimming pools or ornamental ponds cannot fill them if they are

empty or to top them up.

The literary herpetile

Snakes alive!

If it is true that the Dionysiac Architects and the Bacchus/Dionysius-worshipping Greekand Roman Collegia, were among the originators of the Freemasons, then it is highly

likely that they were linked also with the serpent-worshipping Druids who were also

known as Adders or Snakes. They were all in fact a later showing of the worldwide

serpent cult the same as those in India, Egypt and elsewhere, who all had fantasticbuilding skills and held secrets of the true and hidden Gnostic traditions.

From Philip Gardiner author ofThe Serpent Grail, Gnosis: The Secret of SolomonsTemple Revealed and The Shining Ones. Watkins Publishing, 2005.

No deserts in England

See how the lizards of the seaside sandhills, emerald-green and tawny-grey, agile as

thought, quick-eyed and docile as love, dart to the speary grass that grows like a mimicwheat-field in those wild and trackless deserts! Deserts did we say? When a thousand

forms of life, brilliant beetles cased in armour of bronze and crimson; fairy-like

butterflies, whose wings are azure above, and beneath dotted with jewels; birds that lift

up cheering voices, and lay down pretty feathers; - when the golden-flowered andfragrant galium, and the milk-white cups of the grass-of-Parnassus, make a desert, then

let the haunt of lizards receive this name in England always thoughtless, and usuallyunjust.

L. H. Grindon (1868) The Trees of Old England. F. Pitman, London

From Yukon Amphibians
http://sussexamphibianandeptilegroup.blogspot.com/http://sussexamphibianandeptilegroup.blogspot.com/


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Frogs can also be guardian spirits, like the frog helper that appeared to Skookum Jimafter he rescued a frog trapped in a deep hole. Skookum Jim later dreamed of a frog,

which showed him a gold-tipped walking stick and told him he would find his fortune

downriver. In 1896, after travelling down the Yukon River to Dawson, Skookum Jimwas one of the first people to discover gold in the Klondike.

From: Yukon Amphibians (Government of the Yukon, 2005) - well worth reading even ifyou have no plans to go to the Yukon. It is online here:

www.yesnet.yk.ca/events/yukonenvironment/pdf/amphibians05.pdf

In brief

From The Yorkshire Post8 May 2006: Now in acres of dereliction the only remains ofButlins holiday camp at Filey is the deep end of the outdoor swimming pool full to the

brim with thousands of Great Crested Newts.

From: Venom of snakes could put bite on painful arthritis by Lyndsay Moss in TheScotsman 27 March 2006

The Arthritis Research Campaign said they had heard of examples of people with arthritis

being bitten by snakes and their pain reducing.

Spokeswoman Jane Tadman said: "Similarly, others have reported the same effect from

bee stings and nettles and it appears that all venom and stings have some kind of pain-relieving properties. "Obviously people shouldn't seek out adders to bite them on the off-

chance that it might help their arthritis, but a synthetic form of venom minus the toxinsmight be the answer."

From David Ignatius in the Indianapolis Star,8 March 2006

The warnings are coming from frogs and beetles, from melting ice and changing ocean

currents, and from scientists and responsible politicians around the world. And yet whatis the U.S. government doing about global warming? The answer, essentially, is nothing.

That should shock the conscience of American citizens.

From: Janice Wiese-Fales in the Columbia Daily Tribune 17 March 2006:

In 1865, the Stockton and Hartlepool Mercury, a British newspaper, reported thatworkmen had discovered a live toad buried 25 feet deep in solid rock. In the early 19th

century, when digging was done by hand, such reports were not uncommon.

The Mountain chicken or Crapaud is a national symbol here. It is on the islands Coat of

Arms and forms part of Dominicas National Dish. New attempts are being made to

conserve one of Dominicas rare specie, the mountain chicken or crapaud which is now

on the brink of extinction.
http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/events/yukonenvironment/pdf/amphibians05.pdfhttp://www.yesnet.yk.ca/events/yukonenvironment/pdf/amphibians05.pdf


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From theHouston Chronicle:

Feb. 11, 2006, 2:59AMYellow-Legged Frog Faces Extinction

By JULIANA BARBASSA Associated Press Writer 2006 The Associated PressYOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. The mountain yellow-legged frog,Ranamuscosa, has survived for thousands of years in lakes and streams carved by glaciers,

living up to nine months under snow and ice and then emerging to issue its raspy chorus

across the Sierra Nevada range.

But the frog's call is going silent as a mysterious fungus pushes it toward extinction.

"It's very dramatic," said Yosemite biologist Lara Rachowicz. "One year, you visit a lakeand the population will seem fine. The next year you go back, you see a lot of dead frogs

scattered along the bottom of the pond. In a couple years the population is gone."

There are about 650 populations left in Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon nationalparks, but most lakes have only one to five frogs _ not enough to guarantee survival _ and

85 percent are infected with the lethal fungus.

The frogs were once so thick that tadpoles frothed in shallow waters, and it was hard not

to step on a frog on shore.Their decline began with the artificial stocking of trout in Sierra lakes _ first carried in

buckets by mule and then dropped by plane _ for sport fishing. The voracious predator

pushed the frogs into isolated lakes.The remaining frogs can't withstand the fungus and can't travel far enough in trout-

infested streams to repopulate depleted habitat.The frog population has dropped by 10 percent a year for five years, Rachowicz said at a

gathering last month of 24 experts trying to save the frog.

The chytrid fungus, linked to the extinction of amphibians from Australia to Costa Rica,grows on frog skin, making it hard to use their pores and regulate water intake. The frogs

die of thirst in the water, Rachowicz said.

Despite the threat of extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lacks funds to makethe frog an endangered species. Federal officials also questioned what good it would do,

because the fungus isn't coming from agriculture or development that can be curbed.

"It's an act-of-God type thing," said Harry McQuillen, chief of the endangered species

recovery branch of the agency's Sacramento office. "How do you deal with somethingthat seems overwhelmingly out of your control?"

The fungus is frightening because it kills frogs quickly even in untouched habitats,

scientists said."It's a mass extinction in the making," said J. Alan Pounds, who wrote an article in the

journal Nature linking the fungus to global warming. His research offers the first solid

clue to an international scientific mystery _ the disappearance of as many as 112amphibian species since 1980.

U.S. biologists will look at breeding the critters in captivity, which has not been done

successfully. They may also re-establish frogs in areas where they've disappeared, and


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remove more nonnative trout from some high Sierra lakes. Trout removal has hadpromising results in Sequoia and Kings Canyon, but could prove unpopular with anglers.

"Recreational fishing is a long-standing, valid activity in the park, and we recognize

that," said Steve Thompson, Yosemite's lead wildlife biologist. "But the park has a dualmission, to protect resources and provide for their enjoyment. If you don't protect the

resources, it'll prevent the enjoyment."

The team of Indonesian, American and Australian researchers were dropped by helicopter

into the Foja Mountains on New Guinea island, "as close to the Garden of Eden as you're

going to find on earth," in the words of team co-leader Bruce Beehler of Conservation

International. Over several weeks in November and December, the team discovereddozens of new species - more than 20 species of new frogs. February 2006

At licensed child-care centres in North Carolina, reptiles are being ushered out ofclassrooms, not because they are nipping little preschool fingers but because they might

carry salmonella - bacteria that can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, fever and headaches.

Because the regulations are based on a demerit system, child-care centres could keepreptiles and amphibians without losing their licenses. But inspectors would have to issue

three demerits to centres with pet lizards, snakes and other reptiles.

Anne Blythe in The Charlotte Observer

Froget-Me-Not-Farm

Western Australia's first dedicated frog farm is set to get approval in Waroona, in thestate's south-west, as part of the efforts to save the endemic western green tree frog

Litoria moorei from extinction. The frogs are only found in the south-west corner of the

state, but have become endangered due to urban development and introduced predators.The Froget-Me-Not Farm would run breeding and research programs and provide tours

and educational material for schools and the general public.

ABC News Online: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1572226.htm

Cane toads are capable of moving nearly 1 mile in one night and that is translating into a

major problem in Australia.

Scientists, writing in the journal Nature, say cane toads --Bufo marinus -- are developing

a leggier, faster-moving form that is now moving quickly across the continent.

The amphibians that can weigh more than 4 pounds were introduced to Queensland from

South America in 1935, in an attempt to wipe out cane beetles, a pest that was destroying

sugar crops in northeast Australia, the BBC reported.

Since then, the toads have become a major threat to indigenous animals, killing snakes,

lizards, water birds and even crocodiles.

Scientists told the BBC the toads are moving at a rate five times faster than when they
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1572226.htmhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1572226.htm


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arrived in Australia -- covering an average of nearly 35 miles annually.

Researchers have been unable to devise a method of controlling the spread of the toads,

which scientists say are causing an "ecological nightmare."

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

Because Australia has no native toads, many native predators such as snakes, lizards and

mammals are very sensitive to the toxin. So when the toads spread, they immediately kill

off many of the region's top predators.

TITH POLONGA

According to Mark OShea, author of Venomous Snakes of the World, the most

dangerous species is the Sri Lankan Russells viper,Dabola russelli, known as tith

polonga in its native country where it kills as many as a thousand people a year. Part of

the reason is that it is common around houses and in paddy fields where many peoplework.

An anti-venom specific to this snake has been developed in the UK, but it is expensive

and not entirely satisfactory and the University of Colombo is working on a cheaper and

more effective version though, sadly, they are short of the funds needed for this.

As many as 80,000 people a year worldwide die of snakebite but, because this is a

dispersed problem unlike an earthquake or a tsunami, the problem does not hit the

headlines and attract the level of funds required for the anti-venom research that wouldhelp both people and snakes.

SNAKES ALIVE!

Check out these photos of a snake caught on anelectric fence on a sheep and cattle station near the

New South Wales town of Nyngan. Some tourists

came across the snake caught in an electric fence,being continually shocked, and getting very angry.


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of Dr Patrick Roper, our newtsletter editor and a village trustee. It was not long before adip in the pond in the walled garden revealed the presence of several specimens of

Palmate newt. A brisk downhill walk to the woods and river followed, with a brief stop at

the recently restored Great Crested newt pond, complete with deer access in the newstock fencing. Woods and water yielded neither newts nor reptiles, but the children

enjoyed the `assault` course and breeches buoy along the way and learnt much aboutliverworts, oak galls and our native flora and fauna. An uphill hike past the newly plantedarboretum, containing all our island`s indigenous trees, saw Percy the dog straining at the

leash to reach the Swiss Hall for his cup of tea and cake. Fresh air, wildlife, good

international companionship ( Polish, Spanish, Nigerian, Indian ) and a great English

cuppa in a delightful part of Sussex made for a thoroughly decent day. Thank you,Patrick.

Dave Harris

http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/printer_1131777.php

From Monsters and Critics.com

Nature News

Contamination impact studied in amphibians

By UPIFeb 21, 2006, 19:00 GMT

AIKEN, SC, United States (UPI) -- Scientists at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory

near Aiken, S.C., have found amphibians are exposed to contaminants through maternal

transfer.

Bill Hopkins, an associate professor in Virginia Tech`s College of Natural Resources, andcolleagues collected dozens of reproductively active female eastern narrow mouth toads

located around a settling basin near an Aiken-area coal burning power plant.

The burning of coal releases mercury, selenium and other harmful contaminants into theenvironment. The research team tested toads and their offspring for the presence of

chemical contaminants, as well as examining the offspring for developmental

abnormalities.

\'We also looked at clutch size, how many eggs successfully hatched, along with

developmental characteristics such as pigmentation and spinal formation,\' said Hopkins.

Both adult females and their offspring from the settling basin were compared with toads

from a contamination-free reference site.

\'We found females from areas near the power plant accumulated astonishingly highconcentrations of selenium in their tissues, and then transferred nearly equivalent

concentrations of selenium to their young,\' said Hopkins.


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The research has appeared in the National Institutes of Health journal, Environmental

Health Perspectives.

http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl?http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1575763.h

tm

Smelly frogs don't get insect bites. 22/02/2006. ABC News Online

[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1575763.htm]

Last Update: Wednesday, February 22, 2006. 1:06pm (AEDT)

Smelly frogs don't get insect bites

By Jacquie van Santen of ABC Science Online

Researchers have found that some Australian frogs create

their own insect repellent, resembling rotten meat and others

roasted cashew nuts or thyme leaves.

The research team, which includes Associate Professor MikeTyler of the University of Adelaide and entomologist Dr

Craig Williams from James Cook University, has published

its findings online in the journalBiology Letters.

Frogs produce a number of chemicals in their skin, including

hallucinogens, glues and anti-microbials, to ward off infection and stop other animals

from trying to eat them.

"We wanted to test Professor Tyler's [belief] that they should also produce an insect

repellent," Dr Williams said.

The research team studied five species of Australian frogs, including the Australian green

tree frog.

Using massage and acupuncture techniques, they stimulated the muscles beneath thefrogs' skins to produce secretions.

"What we found was that frogs produce a variety of chemicals in their skin and these

ooze out of the pores of their skin when they are stressed," Dr Williams said.

The secretions, some of which repel mosquitos, have different smells depending on a

number of factors such as what the frog eats.

Skin secretions from a

green tree frogprotected a mousefrom mosquitos.

(ABC)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1575763.htmhttp://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200503/r43169_110789.jpghttp://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1575763.htm


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"The frogs produce hundreds of chemicals and one frog's smell might be made up of six

or seven different chemicals, so they all smell quite different," Dr Williams said.

"The chemicals evaporate very quickly from the skin and it's the volatile smell that repels

[the mosquitos]."

A new mosquito repellent?

The team found that skin secretions from an Australian green tree frog, for example,

protected a mouse from mosquitos when the secretion was applied.

The researchers say this is the first time a vertebrate has been found to have its own in-

built mosquito repellent.

The frog secretion was not as repellent as DEET, diethyl-m-toluamide, the ingredient in

most commercial mosquito sprays.

Dr Williams does not believe that a new brand of natural insect repellent will result from

the research.

"The smell is just not very good ... some smell of rotting flesh, some of nuts, some of

thyme leaves."

Last year the frog-sniffing research team won an Ig Nobel prize for its work on skin

secretions.

The prizes honour "achievements that first make people laugh and then make them

think".

At the time, the researchers talked about frog smells that reminded them of Bombay curry

and cut grass.

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060221_ghost_cave.html

A cave so huge helicopters can fly into it has just been discovered deep in the hills of a SouthAmerican jungle paradise.

Actually, "Cueva del Fantasma"Spanish for "Cave of the Ghost"is so vast that two helicopterscan comfortably fly into it and land next to a towering waterfall.

It was found in the slopes of Aprada tepui in southern Venezuela, one of the most inaccessibleand unexplored regions of the world. The area, known as the Venezuelan Guayana, is one of themost biologically rich, geologically ancient and unspoiled parts of the world.
http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060221_ghost_cave.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=060213_new_cave_02.jpg&cap=View+from+inside+Cueva+del+Fantasma,+Aprada+tepui,+Venezuela.+Note+the+size+of+the+two+helicopters+at+the+entrance.+This+is+the+first+geographic+report+and+photograph+of+such+a+huge+cave.+Credit%3A+Charles+Brewer-Carias,+reproduced+from+Zootaxa+with%20%20permission+of+Magnolia+Presshttp://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=060213_new_cave_02.jpg&cap=View+from+inside+Cueva+del+Fantasma,+Aprada+tepui,+Venezuela.+Note+the+size+of+the+two+helicopters+at+the+entrance.+This+is+the+first+geographic+report+and+photograph+of+such+a+huge+cave.+Credit%3A+Charles+Brewer-Carias,+reproduced+from+Zootaxa+with%20%20permission+of+Magnolia+Presshttp://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060221_ghost_cave.html


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This is the first geographic report and photographic evidence of such an immense cave.However, researchers say, it isnt really a cave, but a huge, collapsed, steep gorge.

As a bonus, researchers also discovered a new dendrobatid frog species, Colostethus breweri,named for the frogs identifier, Charles Brewer-Caras. Dendrobatid frogs make up the group ofamphibians commonly known as "poison dart" frogs.

This is the second report recently to describe a newfound paradise of sorts containing previouslyunknown animal species.

Scientists distinguished C. brewerifrom its close relatives by its particular skin pattern, absenceof fringes on fingers, moderate toe webbing, tongue characteristics, and yellow and orangecoloration on its undersides. It is described as a fast-moving frog that lives along creeks and inquiet pools along small streams along the slopes near the cave.

This is the eighteenth described species of Colostethusdiscovered in Venezuelan Guayana.

This discovery, not widely reported, was detailed in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal Zootaxa.

CYBERSARG

The Herpetological Conservation TrustsAdder Project web site:http://adder.org.uk/

Lee Bradys blog for the Kent ARG. Very well worth a look:

http://homepage.mac.com/calumma/iblog/index.html

Arkive:

A brilliant site for images of wildlife. Look at the entries on slow-worms:

http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/reptiles/Anguis_fragilis/

Survey of the common lizard in Ireland:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4941642.stm

More on chytridiomycosis:

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/02/21/frog.fungus/

Resistance to chytridiomycosis?:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4998074.stm

Yummy mummy: baby amphibians eat mother alive:

Good stuff from the Natural History Museumhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2006/apr/news_8032.html

Green toadpole rescue in Italy:http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-05-11_1112891.html

Vernal pools in the States:

There is much debate on how to look after the temporary pools where amphibians breed

in the eastern United States:

http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=15341

Toad patrols & frog-a-ducts in Italy:

http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-03-03_1010257.html

Newts from California to Alaska:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/04/HOGDJHGN5A1.DTL
http://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=060213_frog_02.jpg&cap=Female+specimen+of+the+newly+identified+Colostethus+breweri.+Credit%3A+Charles+Brewer-Carias,+reproduced+from+Zootaxa+with+permission+of+Magnolia+Presshttp://www.livescience.com/animalworld/top10_deadliestanimals-10.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/animalworld/ap_060206_new_species.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/animalworld/ap_060206_new_species.htmlhttp://adder.org.uk/http://homepage.mac.com/calumma/iblog/index.htmlhttp://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/reptiles/Anguis_fragilis/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4941642.stmhttp://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/02/21/frog.fungus/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4998074.stmhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2006/apr/news_8032.htmlhttp://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-05-11_1112891.htmlhttp://www.keepmecurrent.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=15341http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-03-03_1010257.htmlhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/04/HOGDJHGN5A1.DTLhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/04/HOGDJHGN5A1.DTLhttp://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-03-03_1010257.htmlhttp://www.keepmecurrent.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=15341http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-05-11_1112891.htmlhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2006/apr/news_8032.htmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4998074.stmhttp://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/02/21/frog.fungus/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4941642.stmhttp://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/reptiles/Anguis_fragilis/http://homepage.mac.com/calumma/iblog/index.htmlhttp://adder.org.uk/http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/ap_060206_new_species.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/animalworld/ap_060206_new_species.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/animalworld/top10_deadliestanimals-10.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=060213_frog_02.jpg&cap=Female+specimen+of+the+newly+identified+Colostethus+breweri.+Credit%3A+Charles+Brewer-Carias,+reproduced+from+Zootaxa+with+permission+of+Magnolia+Press


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Frozen frogs survival in the Alaskan arctic:http://www.sitnews.us/0406news/041506/041506_ak_science.html

A useful fact sheet on slow-worms from Worcestershire:

http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/home/bio-leaflets-factsheet-slow-worm.pdf

A fact sheet on British reptiles from the Wildlife Trusts:

http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/reptile.htmA fact sheet on slow-worms and adders from Scottish Natural Heritage:http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/education/slowworm.pdf

Ultrasonic frogs:A new species of frog has been discovered in China with a complex ultrasonic croak

rather like the sounds used by bats:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4806906.stm

And flying frogs:

The frogs in this extraordinary experiment are not harmed:http://www.hfml.ru.nl/froglev.html

Living amphibians from the Tree of Life Web Project:http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Living_Amphibians&contgroup=Terrestrial_vertebrates

My life as a toad warden from the BBC:http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A3521152

Newt mitigation in Leicestershire:

http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/news/NewsFullStory.asp?ID=1270

Vanishing toads could portend extinction crisis:http://www.localnewsleader.com/olberlin/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=158899

Chytrid Fungus, Toxic Fundamentalism, and the Mass Extinction of Frogs

Steven Laffoley inMarxist Thought Online says The first law of ecology is this: allthings are interconnected - even frogs and freedom.http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/3051/1/32/

Why frogs are green:http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060403_mm_frog_green.html

Quiz question

Q. What is a half-adder?

A. A mathematical term for an addition circuit that adds in columns.

A TEENAGER is set to get an Anti-Social Behaviour Order to stop him stealing

NEWTS.

The 15-year-old lad and a pal were netted by cops after a neighbour filmed them pulling

the creatures from a back garden pond.
http://www.sitnews.us/0406news/041506/041506_ak_science.htmlhttp://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/home/bio-leaflets-factsheet-slow-worm.pdfhttp://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/reptile.htmhttp://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/education/slowworm.pdfhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4806906.stmhttp://www.hfml.ru.nl/froglev.htmlhttp://tolweb.org/tree?group=Living_Amphibians&contgroup=Terrestrial_vertebrateshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A3521152http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/news/NewsFullStory.asp?ID=1270http://www.localnewsleader.com/olberlin/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=158899http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/3051/1/32/http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060403_mm_frog_green.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060403_mm_frog_green.htmlhttp://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/3051/1/32/http://www.localnewsleader.com/olberlin/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=158899http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/news/NewsFullStory.asp?ID=1270http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A3521152http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Living_Amphibians&contgroup=Terrestrial_vertebrateshttp://www.hfml.ru.nl/froglev.htmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4806906.stmhttp://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/education/slowworm.pdfhttp://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/reptile.htmhttp://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/home/bio-leaflets-factsheet-slow-worm.pdfhttp://www.sitnews.us/0406news/041506/041506_ak_science.html


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They admitted stealing fish and other aquatic life from Mark Andersons garden in

Gloucester in June last year.

Police applied for the ASBO to city JPs yesterday. It would ban the lad from Mr.

Andersons garden. But his lawyer asked for time for reports.

The teenager, who cannot be named, already has a nine-month supervision order for

possessing cannabis. His pal, also 15, was given a 12-month supervision order.

The Sun, 24 February 2006

Researchers hope another mating season can rescue rare toad

DUBUQUE, Iowa Some time next month, Lee Jackson and his assistant will use tiny needles to inject some

of the nation's rarest toads with synthetic hormones.

The hormones are the amphibian equivalent of chocolate truffles and a dozen roses.

They are designed to awaken the libidos of the 53 Wyoming toadsBufo hemiophrys baxteri in Jackson's

care, just in time for spring mating season.

Jackson is with the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque. He is one of dozens of

researchers at 13 zoos and aquariums nationwide taking every precaution to enhance the reproductive odds

of the species. The toads almost became extinct 12 years ago.

The amphibians once flourished in the wetlands and ditches of a 30-acre region in the Laramie Basin in

southeastern Wyoming. But over the last 40 years, the toad's numbers diminished so swiftly they now are

considered one of the most endangered amphibians in the world. Researchers say a small number of toads

have survived at least two years and bred, but the species' future remains uncertain.

The toads have tan and olive markings, scattered warts and a call described as a high-pitched screech.

From WhoTV.com 26 February 2006: http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4551952&nav=2HAB

More information on the Wyoming toad is here:

http://endangered.fws.gov/ESB/99/05-06/18-19.pdf

Dedifferentiation is a reprogramming or turning back of the clock for cells so that they

regain the power they had as stem cells. Newts do this, mysteriously, when their tails arecut off. The tail cells "remember" how to become stem cells again. The tail grows back.

Last year, Canadian researchers identified some of the newt genes responsible for

regeneration and are trying to find equivalent genes in humans.

St Louis Post-Dispatch 25 Feb 2006
http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4551952&nav=2HABhttp://endangered.fws.gov/ESB/99/05-06/18-19.pdfhttp://endangered.fws.gov/ESB/99/05-06/18-19.pdfhttp://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4551952&nav=2HAB


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A new online database called EU-TWIX (European Union - Trade in WildlifeInformation Exchange) was launched last October as a law enforcement aid for official

bodies that investigate wildlife crime. Between 1996 and 2003 the EU imported 1.9

million live reptiles and 50,000 live amphibians listed in CITES (the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species) and the new database should help to reduce

this.

NARRS, a challenge for the ARGs

John Baker & Chris Gleed-Owen*

*The Herpetological Conservation Trust, 655a Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, BH1

4AP

The National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS) is a project to set up anational long-term surveillance project for all species of herpetofauna in the United

Kingdom. By thoroughly examining the amounts and types of data needed to monitor

trends in the status of species at national, regional and local levels, and consulting widely,we aim to build a robust system for collecting consistent and comprehensive time-series

data on a scale that is currently lacking. The only realistic way of collecting data on such

a large scale, probably from thousands of locations, is to seek the help of volunteers. Not

only would the existing ARG network in Britain be invaluable to the operation ofNARRS, it should also provide impetus and direction for the network, with a national

project to work on together.

NARRS is being developed through a partnership led by The Herpetological

Conservation Trust (the HCT) and including ARG UK, Froglife, English Nature,Countryside Council for Wales and others, with generous funding from Esme Fairbairn

Foundation. We are currently in the project design stage (Phase 1), involving wide

consultation of the ARGs and many other people and organisations. A scoping study wascarried out by the HCT last year, and many of you have already contributed to a

questionnaire survey and workshop. We are now seeking to design the survey protocols,

assess the size of the volunteer involvement required, and address all other aspects ofrunning a successful national recording scheme. Phase 1 will run until August 2006, and

if funding is secured, the fieldwork programme will begin in early 2007.

Many of you will recently have been contacted by us, inviting you to take part inconsultations and workshops as part of Phase 1. We wish to make the development of

NARRS as inclusive as possible, not only to gather the diverse expertise that exists in the

herpetological community, but also to make people want to be part of it. We propose thefollowing working group themes; consultation will mostly be by email, but may involve

workshops. (We have funding to subsidise travel expenses).

1) Survey protocols

Sampling methods

Number of site visits

Sample sizes (power analysis etc)


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Sampling strategies (stratification etc)

Design of survey forms(a range of professional consultants will also be canvassed for contributions)

2) Survey management

Distribution and coordination of workload Support structures (local, national)

Collation of results (website, paper)

Quality control

3) Training

Training needs

Training design

Training coordination

Design of survey forms/publicity

Equipment needs

4) Data flow

Data collation mechanisms website?

Data management Verification/validation

Dissemination to ARGs, LRCs, NBN Gateway etc

If you wish to become involved in any of the working groups, please get in touch withJohn Baker (using adder count email address above). In addition, Froglife are currently

researching existing volunteer capacity in the UK, with help from ARG UK, and are

examining the likely availability of potential participants in NARRS. If you know ofanyone else you feel might like to be involved, then please let them know about NARRS

and put them in contact with us.

Winter Drought Fears for Wildlife

The BBC is now running a news story about the possible effects of the prolonged drought

on wildlife. A team from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have suggested that

trees and fish could suffer in the summer because of the lack of rain to replenish water

stocks. The full report can be read here.

In Kent, low rainfall over the past two years has seriously affected water levels in

numerous ponds. Some ponds that are normally full of water during the amphibianbreeding season barely contain any water at all. Unless rainfall increases dramatically in

the coming weeks, low water levels may seriously affect amphibian breeding success in

many of Kent's ponds.

Are you aware of any ponds that should be full of water but are currently dry (or nearly
http://www.ceh.ac.uk/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4739922.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4739922.stmhttp://www.ceh.ac.uk/


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so)? If so, we would be very interested to receive reports and photos. Please contact us atthe usual email address.

Lee Brady KRAG, 24 Feb 2006

Book reviews

The 'Atlas of the Amphibians of Cheshire and Wirral' is now in print and will be

available next week from rECOrd following its launch at Manchester Airport on Tuesday

14th March.

Full colour, Softback, 270 x 210, 48 pages, 58 illustrations including two maps per

species showing historical and modern (up to 2005) distribution.Sections on conservation, estimating populations, distribution, amphibians in place-

names, amphibian habitats in Cheshire etc.

ISBN no.0-9545998-1-0

9.95 plus 2,00 P+P

rECOrd, Chester Zoological Gardens,

Upton, Chester, CH2 1LH

Tel.: 01244 383749/383569Fax: 01244 383569

E-mail: [email protected]: www.rECOrd-LRC.co.uk

Wintry weather 'threatens frogs'

Arctic weather conditions are raising fears that this year's frog spawn has been frozen in

ponds nationwide.

The Woodland Trust said tadpoles that survived or missed the freeze may face worse

news and the droughts predicted for later this year could further devastate the population.

The warning comes as already diminished numbers of frog spawn sightings have beenreported, compared with this time in last year's Springwatch Survey, run by the BBC in

association with conservation charity the Woodland Trust and the Centre for Ecology and

Hydrology.

The frog spawn reports have been appearing in reduced numbers all over south-west

England due to the cold winter.
mailto:[email protected]://www.record-lrc.co.uk/http://www.record-lrc.co.uk/mailto:[email protected]


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As well as the initial devastation, the arctic start to March could also delay spawning for

the rest of the country.

Jill Attenborough, from the Woodland Trust, said: "We need more people to tell us when

they first see some frog spawn this year.

"You can tell us through the web at www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch or by postcard or even

just by texting "spring frogspawn" to 63399 - our computers will log the time and rough

locations of your sighting."

:: Frogs can leap more than 20 times their body length.They drink and breathe through

their skin.

:: The earliest frogs appeared more than 190 million years ago in the Jurassic era and can

mate under ice.

:: A frog's tongue is attached to its lower lip and lies backwards down its throat. It can bewhipped out in an instant and has a sticky end to catch prey.

From The Scotsman 12 March 2006

A cave so huge helicopters can fly into it has just been discovered deep in the hills of a

South American jungle paradise.

Researchers found a new species of poison dart frog inside. I don't have a good feeling

about this. Some scientists are starting to suspect that just maybe they are the onesresponsible for spreading the fungus that is killing off the frogs of the world.We humans just can't seem to resist the urge to discover new things, pick them up, and

put them in a specimen jar. If it won't fit in a jar, we will shoot it with a tranquilizer dart

and radio collar it, possibly throwing in a few ear tags for good measure. I can't think of aworse fate for a biologist than to realize he or she may be solely responsible for the

extinction of a life form. There is a possibility this newly discovered frog has just seen its

last days. The golden toad of Costa Rica disappeared shortly after its discovery, so didthe Kihansi spray toad of Africa.

There was a glimmer of hope last spring:

Breaking update:

In late May 2005, Kihansi Spray Toads were found in the upper wet zone of the KihansiGorge. Very few, but some are still clinging on and thus the species is not officially

extinct in the wild yet.
http://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=060213_frog_02.jpg&cap=Female+specimen+of+the+newly+identified+Colostethus+breweri.+Credit%3A+Charles+Brewer-Carias,+reproduced+from+Zootaxa+with+permission+of+Magnolia+Presshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4257232.stmhttp://msnbc.msn.com/id/11219078http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0606-Kihansi_Spray_Toad.htmlhttp://news.mongabay.com/2005/0606-Kihansi_Spray_Toad.htmlhttp://msnbc.msn.com/id/11219078http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4257232.stmhttp://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=060213_frog_02.jpg&cap=Female+specimen+of+the+newly+identified+Colostethus+breweri.+Credit%3A+Charles+Brewer-Carias,+reproduced+from+Zootaxa+with+permission+of+Magnolia+Press


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Unfortunately, last week's Science magazine tells us that these rediscovered toads havesince disappeared. The fatal frog-killing fungus was not present when the researchers first

visited this unique ecosystem ... odd that.

Disease brought by ice-age travelers and their dogs may have helped wipe out the

megafauna of North and South America. Microbes honed to high levels of lethality byhumanity's intimate contact with domesticated animals regularly swept through Europeand Asia for thousands of years. When the pockmarked and stunted descendants of the

survivors of those plagues landed in the Americas they unleashed new plagues on

continents full of people without any resistance to them.

Today, researchers are pushing into the last nooks and crannies of our planet and are in

all likelihood introducing novel microbes to small, isolated populations without enough

genetic diversity to resist new diseases. Maybe it is time for some kind ofprime directivebefore it's too late.

Parasites linked to frog deformities

See: ..\Parasites linked to frog deformities.mht
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4688000.stmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_directivehttp://../Parasites%20linked%20to%20frog%20deformities.mhthttp://../Parasites%20linked%20to%20frog%20deformities.mhthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_directivehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4688000.stm

Documents

Newts Letter 41 Summer 2006