Giant Bullfrogs Invade Canada

VICTORIA, British Columbia (Reuters) - Baseball-size bullfrogs are invading large areas of British Columbia and endangering native species with their hearty appetites, according to a Canadian biologist.

The intruding Rana Catesbeiana, more commonly known as the American Bullfrog, is the largest frog in North America with females weighing up to 24.5 ounces.

University of Victoria biologist Purnima Govindarajulu, probing the sudden increase in the number of bullfrogs, said the voracious predators are threatening delicate aquatic ecosystems in Victoria, Duncan, Nanaimo and Parksville.

``The main problem is that bullfrogs eat other frogs and snakes as well as insects, fish, mice, and young birds. Actually they'll eat whatever they can fit into their huge mouths,'' Govindarajulu told Reuters.

Bullfrogs are naturally only found in eastern parts of North America. It is believed they were brought to the west coast by people who wanted to sell them as a delicacy or as live ornaments for garden pools.

They were first noted in the 1940s but their numbers did not explode until the early 1990s.

To find out more about presence and number of bullfrogs in British Columbia the biologist is looking for volunteers who lend a listening ear and spot out the invaders. ``It's easy to identify them in summer because they have a loud breeding call.''

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), July 28, 2000

Answers

O ops, forgot the Link

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), July 28, 2000.

Whew, glad to hear bullfrogs are thriving. Last I heard about frog demographics was that frogs were becoming an endangered species. Guess that was specious. Ribbet.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), July 28, 2000.

Lars,

The problem is that the bullfrog is kinda the amphibious equivalent of an aggressive exotic organism such as {depending on your locale}:

kudzu, loosestrife, ice plant, zebra mussels,...yadda yadda...

Bullfrogs a real menace on the left coast.

-- flora (***@__._), July 28, 2000.

BULLFROG-LEGS--YUM-YUM!

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), July 28, 2000.

Canada will be safe until giant geese take them over.

-- blip (ond@screen.com), July 28, 2000.

More proof that Gary North and Ed Yourdon were right!

-- Cult Of Hawk (cof@cof.cof), July 28, 2000.

This is a good thing as they are natural predators of moon mice.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), July 28, 2000.

We have a few skunks in our area. Do they eat skunks?

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), July 28, 2000.

Baseball size is not "giant." A frog the size of a large house cat could be considered "giant" but smaller than that is fairly normal.

-- Hawk (flyin@hi.again), July 28, 2000.

"Bullfrogs are dealing fairly well with the changes in the environment that have occured due to humans, and they are becoming increasingly common in areas that have been modified by humans.In many areas, such as California, bullfrogs are driving other frog populations to extinction. An interesting reason to explain why bullfrogs in California might have an advantage over other species native to that state is that bullfrogs evolved with a diverse predatory fish fauna in eastern North America. For many years in California people have been introducing new fish species that are predators of frogs. Bullfrogs have evolved mechanisms to avoid predation by fish, such as less palatable eggs and tadpoles, and tadpoles that are not active much of the time, which reduces their exposure to predators. Native frog species of California are also suffering a decline because bullfrogs are intense predators on frog populations."

http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/bullfrog.htm

-- flora (***@__._), July 28, 2000.

Jeremiah was a bullfrog

sitting on a dull log

then he ate a bulldog

now he is a full frog

-- (nemesis@awol.com), July 28, 2000.

LOL!, nemesis. That sure beats "Mary Mary Quite Contrary."

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), July 28, 2000.

David,

I would never touch that one because I don't know what a tuffit is.

-- (nemesis@awol.com), July 28, 2000.

Huh? Oh, perhaps you're referring to the underground version:

Mary Mary quite contrary
How does your garden grow
From her tuffet she said stuff it
For we have got no right to know

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), July 28, 2000.

It would be easy to cheer a bull frog or two. One might even say this is another dastardly deed of the SK & his minions in their constant endeavour to conquer the world via havoc and subterfuge.

However the bull frogs are not that far removed from the Cane toad dudes of OZ that are rallying right now to invade Kakadu National Park. Only time will tell if it's a catastrophy, but Bro Possum and ilk are most concerned. They are disowning all toads as profligate fornicators of the worst kind.

Cane toads are ravenous foragers of everything! They also carry the ultimate defensive poisonous hide, so natural predation od toads is out of the question.

From the freak fauna news-wire of OZ...

(Some people lick toads for a hit in the space-out department. Toads are also stuffed and sold to unsuspecting tourists visiting Far North Queensland. Canetoad stuffers are rather odd...)

Regards,

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), July 29, 2000.

David,

I got Contrary Mary confused with Little Miss Muffet. There's something about Mary.......

-- (nemesis@awol.com), July 29, 2000.

What the hell are curds and whey?

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), August 05, 2000.

curds and whey = cottage cheese

Curds are the cheese lumps and whey is the creamy part.

Just FYI.

-- semper paratus (eff@wyy.eye), August 05, 2000.

A whey in a manger

-- (nemesis@awol.com), August 05, 2000.

Lookit' them toad-suckers, ain't they a toss?

Back in the boondocks, suckin' them frogs

How to be a toad-sucker? No way to chuck it,

Grab yourself a bullfrog, and rair back and suck it!

-- courtesy Mason Williams (actually, I remember the one about Moose Goosers a lot better)

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), August 05, 2000.