Amphibians: Disappearing act

Yesterday was Save The Frogs Day. about a third of today's amphibians are already facing extinction. A recent global frog hunt, Search for Lost Frogs, which aimed to record the survival status of likely-extinct amphibians that have not been seen over the past decade. It found only 4 out of 100 species. Lets take a look at a few of them......

No.1: Asia's tiniest frog (Microphyla nepenthicola)

• Adult measures 10.6mm to 12.8mm long
• Tadpoles grow in water collected inside the pitcher plant
• Found in Sarawak, Borneo

No.2 : Beaked toad (rhinella)

• This 2cm long frog has deep purple skin speckled with small blue blotches
• The color and shape of its head resembles the dead leaves on which it lives
• Found in Choco, Colombia

No.3 : Chalazodes Bubble-nest Frog

• Last seen: 1874
• Found in India
• Critically endangered
• It has a unique fluorescent green body with ash-blue thighs and groins

No.4 : Glass/Crystal Frog (Mr. "Nothing-to-hide)

• Endangered
• Named for its translucent body
• More than 150 species of glass frogs reside in cloud forests in Central and South America.

No.5 : Wood Frog (Mr. "Freeze & Thaw")

• Least concern
• It creates an antifreeze like solution in its blood to literally freeze in winter
• The minimum survival temperature is -4 to -5 deg C
• When spring arrives, the frog thaws and its heart starts pumping again and it is revived-- unharmed
  

Reflections:

I think this is a very cool video on chemical reaction. The magnesium stripe when reacting with fire, in other words being burnt, create a white, bright light. The end product is a white and powdery magnesium oxide.

Magnesium (Mg) + Oxygen (O2)= Magnesium oxide (Mg0)