Join the movement on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram May 1-7, 2022. All week, we’ll be highlighting amazing amphibian species while helping answer the question “What Are Amphibians?”! Always use #AmphibianWeek, #AmphibianWeek2022, and other fun hashtags like #AmphibianAlly, #LeaveTheLeaves, #AmphibianArt, #SalamanderScience #FantasticFrogs
Keep visiting the websites below to keep informed of new events as they develop:
Free Infographics For Use
Infographics created for Amphibian Week in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French are FREE to use, and can be downloaded from here: https://www.amphibians.org/amphibian-week-infographics/
Feel free to use the Amphibian Week Logo too!
Overarching Theme: What Are Amphibians?
Daily Themes
- Sunday, May 1: Amphibians Through Time
- Monday, May 2: Amphibian Superpowers
- Tuesday, May 3: Meet An Amphibian
- Wednesday, May 4: Meet An Amphibian Biologist
- Thursday, May 5: Name That Amphibian
- Friday, May 6: Amphibians on the Move
- Saturday, May 7:Amphibians Are Important
Sunday, May 1: Amphibians Through Time
Everyone has heard all about those other ancient herps, but amphibians have a rich history all their own—in fact, their lineage pre-dates the dinosaurs by over 100 million years!
#AmphibianWeek #AmphibiansThroughTime
Did you know that….
- Amphibian fossils can be found on all seven continents—yes, even Antarctica!
- You can trace modern amphibian distributions by ancient tectonic plate movement.
- The oldest known frog is from Madagascar (Triadobatrachus).
- The oldest known salamander is from Kyrgyzstan (Triassurus sixtelae).
Here is an article on the Age of Amphibians
Specific fossils/biota you can highlight:
–Elginerpeton
- Elginerpeton is the oldest known amphibian, found in Late Devonian rocks of Scotland dating to approximately 368 million years ago.
–Beelzebufo
- The largest frog that ever lived may have been the devil frog aka These large amphibians lived in what is now modern day Madagascar and were said to be about the size of a beach ball!
- Here is a potential image to use, by Nobu Tamura – Own work, CC BY 3.0
–Tiktaalik
- Have you heard of Tiktaalik? This extraordinary amphibian might be the link between fish and the first legged animals. Tiktaalik had a “robust pelvic girdle, a prominent hip joint, and long hind fins.” These adaptations allowed it to maneuver through the water but also likely helped with mucking through mudflats. Read more about these exciting #Amphibians here
- Here is a potential image with Tiktaalik to use, by Dave Souza, CC BY-SA 3.0
-Callobatrachus
–Salientians
-Diplocaulus
-Metoposaurus – Here’s an interesting article, “Meet the super salamander that nearly ate your ancestors for breakfast”, published in the Conversation.
#AmphibianWeek, #AmphibiansThroughTime
Monday, May 2: Amphibian Superpowers
From frozen anurans to truncated caudates, many amphibians have developed seemingly supernatural adaptations to survive and thrive in their environments. Today’s #AmphibianWeek theme celebrates these superpowers!
#AmphibianWeek, #SalamanderScience, #FantasticFrogs
“Antifreeze blood” in frogs
- Cold winters are no match for some species of frog like the Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)! An accumulation of urea and glucose allow these metabolic marvels to prevent vital organs like their heart from freezing during spring temperature drops. Learn more here.
- Salamander limb and organ regrowth: The regenerative powers of axolotls seems like something out of science fiction, but did you know that scientists are looking at ways salamanders might unlock the secrets of human limb regeneration?! Read more about it here, or watch this video!
Caecilian parental care (eating mother’s skin)
Male Hellbender guarding young/eggs (“den masters”)
Gastric-brooding frog
Pipa pipa (embedded egg rearing)
Sticky feet
Sticky tongues
- Soft usually isn’t a descriptor most people would apply to tongues, but frog tongues are said to be SOFT and STICKY! This unique combination allows for amazing adhesive abilities, allowing frogs to catch all sorts of delicious prey. For more information, check out this link
”Eye swallowing”
- My, what a delicious eye you have… Did you know? To help swallow food, frogs actually retract their eyes to aid in swallowing their meals! Frogs can retract either one or both of their eyes in the swallowing process, and without the ability to retract their eyes, it would take them twice as long to eat a meal. Read more about how frogs use their eyes to swallow here.
Seat patch water uptake (they don’t drink water!)
Neoteny in Ambystoma species
Eastern Newt eft stage (metamorphosis magic, wanders the woods of the eastern US for 7-10 years)
Mexican Spadefoot Toads spend 8-10 months of the year inactive in an underground burrow? (“stasis”)
Secret lives of Eastern Newts infographic can be found here, at PARC’s website
“Wolverine” amphibians: Spanish Ribbed Newt (Ribs poke out tipped in toxins) and Hairy Frog (Bones create “claws”)
Have you ever seen a rolling salamander? Check out this video of a Mount Lyell Salamander rolling away from threats!
Tuesday, May 3rd: Meet An Amphibian
What makes an amphibian an amphibian? What are some of the amphibians you can find around the world? Today, we’ll get a chance to meet amphibians for #AmphibianWeek. This is a great day to show off your organization’s amphibian ambassadors.
Check out videos on the Southern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) and Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) on the Department of Defense (DoD) PARC Species Profile Video series
Did you know salamanders in the Plethidontidae Family, like this Sacramento Mountain Salamander (Aneides hardii) from Lincoln National Forest, are known as the lungless salamanders? These animals breathe through their skin and mouths rather than lungs; spending most of their time under leaf litter, rotten logs, or underground #ForestService
Wednesday, May 4th: Meet An Amphibian Biologist
Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate group–here are some of the people working to keep them hopping, waddling, and wiggling on our planet!
–Share this video about what herpetologists do.
–Help our Herps! Disease is one of the top threats to our local amphibians. Share a video, like this PARC video, about disinfecting your field gear to protect amphibians. –Ask people to talk about themselves/their careers within your organization! Also a great time to highlight interns and early career professionals.
–How have the collaborations within your organization provided measurable, positive outcomes for amphibian conservation? This is a great time to highlight your products!
Thursday, May 5th: Name That Amphibian
Create Contests
Create contests for naming amphibians:
- Post photos asking viewers to “Name that Amphibian”
- Create a contest based on description, riddles, or poems.
- Host an online informal haiku competition.
Cultural Connections
The word salamander derives from Greek for “Fire Lizard”. Salamanders were associated with emerging from logs placed on fires, so myths were created that salamanders were created in fire. This association has stayed over time with things like the salamander broiler in the kitchen.
Amphibians have cultural connections. Please refrain from describing cultural connections that are not your own, but consider sharing cultural connections that are yours.
Friday, May 6: Amphibians on the Move
Vernal pool migration in US
- When folks think of migration, usually, people think of birds and whales carrying out this process. However, did you know that some of our amphibians migrate, too? When the night is right, thousands of spotted salamanders will make their way to temporary wetlands known as vernal pools to breed in the spring. Check out this great video by the Tennessee Aquarium here.
- Amphibians are on the move, and they can be vulnerable to obstacles like roads. Check out what some in Europe are doing to address the problem.
- If you find an amphibian in need, check out this video on how to safely assist
- Looking for some educational inspiration to teach about salamander migration? If so, check out this resource list put together by Of Pools and People.
- Check out how the Boreal Toad was brought back to Colorado by biologists working to reintroduce the species and how they’ve been affected by a decimating fungus: Saving Colorado’s Boreal Toads – YouTube
- Gifford Pinchot National Forest biologists created breeding habitat for the threatened Oregon spotted frog through an innovative interagency conservation project in this video: Protecting the Oregon Spotted Frog in Washington on Vimeo
- Scientists at #OlympicNationalForest are using environmental DNA #eDNA to look for the presence of amphibians through samples taken from water bodies.
This helps us find those amphibians on the move, even if we cannot see them! #ForestService #FSNatureWatch
Saturday, May 7: Amphibians Are Important
Amphibians serve many different roles from predators to prey. Did you know that both ecosystem and human health are both intertwined with amphibians?
1–Ecosystem Health
-Water quality indicators: Freshwater Illustrated’s March of the Newts shows the delicate balance between salamanders and the Pacific northwest forest ecosystems: March of the Newts on Vimeo
-Biomass: In one New Hampshire study, the tiny eastern red-backed salamander was found to comprise over 90% of the salamander biomass and was the most abundant vertebrate in the forest! Salamanders not only serve as predators but also as prey and assist with ecosystem health. Here’s a great video from the Smithsonian National Zoo on the important role salamanders play in the Appalachian ecosystem.
2–Human Health
-Specific examples of medical benefits gleaned from studying compounds in amphibians
- Did you know? Amphibian declines have been linked to increased disease. As mosquito-munching frogs and other amphibian populations decline, malaria outbreaks increased in Central America. Read more about it here!
- The sticky skin of frogs serves many roles. Did you know? Some frog skin secretions contain antimicrobial compounds? These help protect the frog, but medical researchers are also looking into ways to harness these compounds to treat microbial infections in humans, read the science here.
#FantasticFrogs
Accounts to Follow
Amphibian Survival Alliance – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
NEPARC – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
MWPARC – MWPARC, Twitter, Instagram
HerpetALLogy – Twitter
Amphibian Foundation – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARCprotects) – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies – Facebook, Twitter
Foundation for the Conservation of Salamanders – Facebook,Twitter
Amphibian Specialist Group –Twitter
USGS Ecosystems – Instagram
Smithsonian National Zoo – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
Free Photos For Use
DoD PARC (Shutterfly) – https://dodparcphotolibrary.shutterfly.com/pictures/5 **ask for authorization to download
USGS ARMI Gallery – https://armi.usgs.gov/gallery/ (mostly species of the Americas)
AmphibiaWeb/Cal Photos – https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/ ** Must follow the usage guidelines provided with each image
Videos: https://fb.watch/c31Zts2s2k/
Suggested Events and Resources
- Facebook Live event from your backyard of calling frogs
- Repurpose existing amphibian content, such as premiering a video on Facebook
- Instagram stories with questions
- Twitter Quiz
- Q&A with a biologist
- Live art with amphibian topics – be sure to tag #AmphibianArt
- Student Activity resources in English and Spanish (Age ranges 4-15) can be found by clicking on the following topics:
**Whatever you do, have fun, and let us know when/where your events are so we can help spread the word #AmphibianWeek**