Q: How do you find frogs and salamanders?
A: You can look for amphibians in a few
ways. If you are looking for salamanders,
then there are different ways to look for
them depending on where they live. For salamander
species that live on land, the easiest way
to find them is by looking under or in logs
or moss. For species that live in water,
you often need to use a net to catch them,
although if they live in small streams sometimes
you can catch them by hand. The easiest
way to catch frogs is to go out in the evening
or at night and listen for their calls.
The calls will lead you straight to the
frog but it is still not always to see the
calling frog. Sometimes it is necessary
to search in trees, bushes, or grass before
you catch the frog. Nets can be used to
catch frogs that live in water. We also
use nets to catch tadpoles and salamander
larvae.
Q: How do you collect and preserve
amphibians?
A: When we find and collect amphibian species,
we first write down information about the
animal. We will write down the time and
date that it was found. We will also record
basic information about both the weather
and the habitat that it was found in. This
information is very important for understanding
where species live and what they do. We
also write down what the animal looks like.
This is important because many of the bright
colors will fade or disappear after the
animal is stored in preservative. An example
of these notes from my own field book reads
as follows:
“Oku, Northwest Province, Cameroon.
September 21, 2004. Approximately 8 PM.
Astylosternus ranoides. Found in driveway
of Birdlife International Project House
during light rain. Driveway is surrounded
by farmland and is about 0.5 km from a
fast moving stream. The back of the frog
is yellow-tan with dark brown markings;
the belly is a creamy yellow. The iris
of the eye is dark brown.”
In order to preserve the animal, it is
important that the animal dies in a humane
way. For amphibians, we place them in a
jar with a little bit of water and a chemical
that makes them go to sleep. It is a painless
and they die in their sleep. We then place
the animal in an air-tight container with
a little bit of formaldehyde. Once the animal
is well-preserved (usually 24 hours later),
we then store it in alcohol. Museum collections
of amphibians and reptiles have thousands
of jars filled with alcohol and preserved
specimens.
Dave Blackburn
working in the Herpetology Collections of
Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Photo K. Blackburn
Q: How do you know if you find a new
species?
A: This takes a lot of work! First, it is
important to be sure that what you have found
is a species that no one else has found before
you. To do this, you have to compare the animal
that you found to specimens of other species
that it is similar to. When describing a new
species of frog, we consider all sorts of
information. We examine the frogs anatomy
(i.e., what it looks like) and this includes
the skeleton and even the guts of the frog.
We can use DNA to see how different the DNA
is from other potentially related species.
We can also examine the ecology of the species
such as when it breeds, how many eggs it lays,
and if the parents provide care for the eggs
or tadpoles. Lastly, we often use the calls
of the frogs to determine if species are different.
Most frog species have calls that are unique
to that species. If the anatomy, DNA, ecology,
and call all point to the species as being
unlike any others that are described, then
it is probably a new species!
Q: Do you need permission to collect
animals?
A: Yes! It is extremely important to obtain
permission to collect animals. You also
need permission to take them out the country
(export) and to bring them into the country
(import). First, you must get permission
to collect animals in the country that you
are visiting. In Cameroon, I obtain this
permission from the Ministry of Environments
and Forests. Then you must get permission
to export the animals (living or preserved)
back to the United States. You must also
get permission from the United States to
import the specimens. This is a lot of work
to do but it is absolutely necessary in
order to stop the illegal international
trade in animals.
Q: Do you need permission to collect
animals in the United States?
A: Yes! When you’re at home in the
United States, it is also very important
to make sure that it is legal to collect
amphibians and reptiles. Even in the United
States, there are many species of amphibians
and reptiles that are endangered. Just like
you need a hunting license to hunt deer,
moose, or bears, you need permission to
collect amphibians or reptiles in your state.
You can find out more about this by contacting
your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Q: Do you need extra permission
to collect endangered animals?
A: Yes! Collecting endangered animals is
very different from collecting other animals.
Many animals, such as species of apes, large
cats, crocodiles, and chameleons, are protected
by the Commission on the International Trade
of Endangered Species (CITES). Some countries
also protect species that are special or
meaningful to that particular country. If
a species is listed as protected by CITES,
then you must get extra permissions from
the country where you collect animals. You
must also get extra permission from the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
when they are imported. All of this helps
to ensure that endangered species continue
to be protected as much as possible.
Q: How do you get DNA from an animal?
A: Just before we place the animal in preservative,
we take a small piece of liver and preserve
it in alcohol. When I get back to the laboratory,
then I will use this piece of liver to get
DNA for molecular research. We use special
kits from molecular biology companies to
extract the DNA from the tissue. We then
use this to get the DNA sequence of particular
genes that we are interested in.
Q: What type of school do I have
to go to if I want to be a biologist?
A: It is important to complete high school
and then to go to college. In college you
can major in biology, environmental science,
ecology and even geology. This can lead
to many different careers. With a biology-related
college degree can get jobs as a research
assistant in laboratories or even work for
the national parks. With a master’s
degree or a PhD, you can get jobs as a researcher
or professor at a university or a museum
Q: Can I see frogs and salamanders
at home?
A: To find frogs and salamanders, you can
visit forest preserves or national parks
but you can also look in your own backyard
or neighborhood park. If you know of nearby
ponds or streams, these can be great places
to find frogs and salamanders. Toads are
common in many neighborhoods. An easy way
to find frogs is to go out to ponds, lakes,
and forests. Salamanders are often found
under logs in the woods.
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