Animal Summary

Tiger Salamander - The tiger salamanders live in a large aquarium and share their home with a wide variety of frogs and toads. Their habitat consists of a water area to swim, plants, and rocks to hide behind and a large area to catch their meals of crickets.

Green Frogs, Leopard Frogs, Pickerel Frogs, and American Toads - These frogs and toads share the amphibian tank with each other as well as the tiger salamander.

Facts

• A tiger salamander's body curls from side to side as it walks, in a series of "S"- shaped waves.
• The tiger salamander is the largest terrestrial salamander found in Wisconsin.
• Tiger salamanders have no teeth but can regenerate entire limbs if lost.
• A single egg clutch of green frogs may contain from 1,000 to 7,000 eggs.
• Green frogs have teeth on the upper jaw used to hold onto food so it doesn't get away.
• When a frog eats, its eyeballs retract into its head and help push the food down its throat.
• For each species of frog, the size of the tympanic membrane (behind the eye), and the sensitivity of the female's ear, is related to the frequency of the male's call.
• A group of frogs is called an "army".
• No two leopard frogs are alike. They each have their own distinct pattern of spots that researches use to identify them.
• Amphibians are excellent indicator species for the overall health and stability of an ecosystem. Their permeable skin makes them sensitive to environmental changes.
• Pickerel frogs lay masses of 700-3,000 eggs in permanent or temporary ponds.
• The skin secretions of a stressed pickerel frog are toxic to other frogs.
• A toad's skin color can change depending on humidity, stress, and temperature.
• The American toads' skin is dry and bumpy and their feet have little or no webbing between their toes. This is designed specifically to help toads dig in the dirt not swim in the water.
• People can not get warts from toads. But toads do carry a defensive chemical that is toxic to humans. So it's important for people to wash their hands after handling them.

Conservation

The tiger salamander is a species of least concern in becoming endangered. They are known as being common in local populations but overall their numbers have declined.

The green frog is abundant and a species of least concern in becoming endangered. They are protected in some states.

The leopard frog is a protected native species in Wisconsin.

The pickerel frog is stable in most of its habitat but in Wisconsin it is considered a species of special concern by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The American toad species is common and their population numbers are secure due to their great adaptability.

Threats

Threats to tiger salamanders include habitat destruction, pesticide and contaminate pollution, and collection for research and the pet trade.

The green frog species is secure and has no threats at this time.

Threats to the leopard frog include habitat destruction, pollution, disease, and harvesting for the pet trade.

Like many amphibians the pickerel frog is threatened by pollution and habitat destruction.

A threat to the American toad population is pollution in their habitat.