Frog Found in Frozen Veggies

A few weeks ago, Marty and Tim Hoffman of Grand Lodge, Michigan found a surprise in a bag of frozen veggies: a little frog (who unfortunately did not hop happily away upon thawing).

The couple immediately alerted the FDA as well as the grocer where they purchased the veggies. The grocer pulled the veggie bags from freezer shelves and checked for frogs but no more were found. The FDA is currently investigating. Read more here.

As upsetting as this untimely frog death is, I'm not terribly bothered by the so-called incident and do not intend to take this opportunity to criticize food safety regulations in America. In fact, I find the frog's presence refreshing. If these vegetables are being grown and harvested in a frog-friendly environment, that's lovely news (especially considering more than 120 frog species have gone extinct since the 1980s). So hooray for biodiversity. I'm just sorry they didn't find the little fella before the freezing process.

First Froglet!!!

Or first toadlet?? I actually can't tell. But seriously, how cute is this little guy?? And how come he is the first one I have seen ALL SUMMER? And yes, I released him immediately (even though he clung to my finger affectionately).

How are we going to help these homeless toads?!

Great article in the NY Times about the critically endangered and homeless Kihansi spray toads. The toads and the dam that diminished the waterfall in which they resided to 10 percent of its original size exemplify the larger conflicts between conservation and economic development. And although their story raises "questions about how much effort should go to save any one species," I'm completely convinced that a toad born fully formed yet smaller than a pinhead is worth fighting for - which is why I will absolutely be making my way to the Bronx Zoo sometime in February to love on these little fellas.

Supporting Endangered Amphibians and Reptiles is the New Green

What's more fun than a barrel of monkeys? A bucket of frogs, of course! When searching the WWF website for gifts suitable for my neice's first birthday, the colorful amphibians stood out because... well... there is a decent amount of buzz about the plight of polar bears but perhaps not enough about vertebrates.

Lucky for us, JustSaying isn't the only spot spreading the word. Treehugger just put up a great post about seven unique "creepy-crawly" creatures worth protecting: Leaf-nosed Lizards, Round Island Boas, Komodo Dragons, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles, Yellow Blotched Map Turtles, San Francisco Garter Snakes, Bluetail Mole Skinks.

Silly snake. New amphibian species are for scientists.

How cute is this little Magombera chameleon?! (Image credit: Andrew Marshall/African Journal of Herpetology)

Conservation scientist, Dr. Andrew Marshal, was surveying endangered red colobus monkeys in the low-land forests of Tanzania when he came upon a twig snake that was eating one of these guys for lunch (I decided not to post that photo). The startled snake quite literally lost his lunch and just like that a new chameleon species was discovered.

The species is named after it's habitat, the Magombera Forest, which is under threat so Dr. Marshal hopes this will "create a banner for the desperate needs of the endangered ecosystem."

Read more here.