Frog Friends

In the middle of a record heat wave, our evaporative cooler died. When husband John pulled it apart to find the problem, he discovered a small green obstruction in the water intake. Not surprisingly, we humans aren't the only ones trying to beat the heat. And no matter how many times we move him, that little frog keeps coming back.

            If you've found a small slender frog with smooth skin varying from light brown to bright green, you've probably met the Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla). We've all heard peepers singing away on a spring evening but where do they go when it gets hot? Chorus frogs are masters of crypsis: the ability of an organism to conceal itself by having a color, pattern, and shape that allows it to blend into the surrounding environment. For Chorus frogs, any dark, moist place will do, as the one my son found in his tennis shoe can attest.

            The Monterey ensatina (Ensatina e. eschscholtzii) salamander is another camouflage specialist. Reddish brown above with limbs lighter in color than the rest of the body, they match the mottled forest floor and hide under downed logs and brush by local streams. Active during the rainy season, ensatinas enter a state of dormancy during hot weather.

            The word amphibian comes from the Greek meaning "double life" referring to their life cycle, half spent in water and half spent on land. In dryer times, mucus keeps their skin moist. Special skin glands produce proteins for transporting water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, fighting bacterial and fungal infections, and in many species, generating toxins.

            The California newt (Taricha torosa), a resident of our local creeks, is one such toxin producer. The skin of these warty, slate-gray newts produces the same neurotoxin found in pufferfish. If molested, it will display the unken reflex. Swallowing air and tensing its head and tail up to reveal bright orange-yellow warning colors on its belly, this little guy is quite clearly cautioning, "Don't eat me. I'm toxic!"

            The California toad (Anaxyrus halophilus) lives in our local meadows and riparian forests. Unlike frogs, the California toad's skin is dry. Toads control body temperature by basking and evaporative cooling. In the cooler spring and fall, toads are diurnal, which is when we tend to see them out and about. Once the summer months hit, they become nocturnal, hiding under rocks and logs, and in rodent burrows. Like newts, toads produce skin toxins to discourage predation. Contrary to popular legend, touching a toad will not cause warts, but their bufotoxin can cause skin irritation so it's best to look and not touch.