Texas amphibian monitoring program

Hibbitts, Troy D. Hibbitts, Toby J. Hibbitts, and Travis J. Published in , this University of Texas Press book is an excellent reference to all amphibians in Texas. That means that we are involving everyday Texas citizens in gathering data.

People can pick up a packet of monitoring materials that we offer for free , and they can purchase a CD of frog and toad calls. It has nearly all the frogs and toads in Texas, to learn your frog and toad calls.

This was our sixth year of monitoring at this location, and Kathy McCormack is the site coordinator. Team support for this effort has been outstanding — in addition to the site coordinators, participants included A. Since we monitor for the hour or so after sunset, a group provides safety in numbers in these public places.

In addition, a team assures that there will be monitoring coverage of the site every month i. Plus, more eyes and ears mean that we observe more things — not just the amphibians and birds, but lots of other critters and plants, as well.

When all four legs of a tadpole start to show, that's when we first call it a metamorph. When it no longer has its tail, then we call it a frog. Keep the metamorphs wet. Make sure there's something in your bucket for metamorphs to crawl up on. They are also fragile, so be careful in handling them. Kind of like a tadpole — Just like tadpoles, metamorphs are fragile, so be extra careful if you handle them. Their bodies need to stay wet or they will dry out, and die very quickly. Kind of like a frog — Metamorphs aren't just changing on the outside …They're changing on the inside too!

One of the biggest changes happening to metamorphs is the way that they breathe: Metamorphs are developing lungs so they need to breathe air, just like adult frogs. Adult frogs are good at floating on top of the water and keeping their heads up so that they can breathe, but a metamorph still has its big tadpole tail that weighs it down.

It's not good at floating; it needs to lean on something sturdy or it could even drown. SO …if you put metamorphs in your container, make sure you put some long sticks in there took or some floating vegetation so that the metamorphs have somewhere to rest. Frogs: Keep frogs moist. Don't overcrowd.

Hold by the top of the legs. Frogs are wiggly and wet and can be hard to hold. If you handle one, make sure you don't crush it. Believe it or not the best way to hold a frog is by its legs-right where the legs meet with the frog's body. They also need to stay wet, just like tadpoles and metamorphs.