Annotations: Frogs

Howdy-doo all,

Quick question, have you used the "Annotations" feature on iNat? I am a very "scientific observer", and like to document all notes possible. Doing this allows me to pick up on things that might not be well documented. So, I love iNats "Annotations" feature, and encourage everyone to use it. It has come to my attention though, that there may be some completely understandable confusion with in the iNat community as far as what these are. So, here are some pointers on how to ID these Annotations. For this post, I will focus on Frogs, as these are the majority of what I am seeing.

-AGE-

I will keep this simple...

Egg = Egg mass

Larvae = Tadpole

Juvenile = Froglet until sexually mature
Examples: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38573192
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33167999

Adult = Clearly sexually mature
Example: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41769085
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39764546

-SEX-
Any frogs calling are going to be males. This does not include the squeaks many frogs do when scared though. Also, in amplexis, the male is the frog on the back, and the female is being clutched. But there are other ways to sex frogs.

Treefrogs and Allies, Toads, Narrowmouths, Spadefoots:
These guys are easy to sex just by looking at their chins. Males have vocal sacks on their throats, so the throat is a darker than the belly. Examples: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41906835
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41780696
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/31154953

True Frogs:
Adult Greens and Bullfrogs can be sexed by their tympanum (eardrum). Males will have tympanums larger than their eyes. Examples: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/22443093
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/22443092

Other True Frogs can be tricky. Males have vocal sacks between the tympanum and shoulder. In breeding season, the males stretch these, causing them to sag significantly. They also tend to be different colors. Examples: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40585034
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40585098

-DEAD OR ALIVE-
This is self explanatory. No description really needed.

So, I hope this clears up some questions. Thank you all for your submitting observations, and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments.

Publicado el abril 14, 2020 06:43 MAÑANA por tysmith