Tuesday, March 27, 2012

More Mad Frogs!

At long last, the second half of the Madagascar frog photos.  These (and more) were all taken on a short stroll in the rain near Andasibe, and all with my Lumix point-and-shoot so quality varies :).  The diversity of Madagascar's frogs is stunning, and this represents only a small percentage!  These frogs are awaiting IDs so no names this time, but I will try to get them up soon.

































































































































































That's all for now.  What's next?  Who knows!

Kyle

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Peepers!

I found yet another distraction from editing trip photos - here in southern Ontario the frogs and salamanders are out in force!  Had a great evening yesterday with a couple of friends searching for amphibians at some nearby breeding ponds.  We saw a number of species, but I have always been a big fan of Spring Peepers and they were putting on a great show!  Here are a few of the shots:

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)















Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)















Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) - showing the distinctive cross, the feature behind the name 'crucifer.'





















Also observed on the evening were Bullfrog, Green Frog, Wood Frog, Redback Salamander, Blue-spotted (type) Salamander, Spotted Salamander and Northern Water Snake.  A fantastic night!

Kyle

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Mad Frogs #1

At long last I am getting settled back in and to the giant stack of photos sitting on my desktop.  I've set my sights on the Madagascar frogs as my first conquest, and it is proving to be a daunting foe!  The country is home to more frogs than breeding birds, and although we barely scratched the surface I took a ton of photos.  Anyway, here is the first of what I hope will be 2 installments.

The first (like a few others) is a repost - or rather a proper edit of an earlier photo - but worth revisiting!  One of the must-see frogs in Madagascar - the Baron's Mantella (skilfully found by our guide - a feat not as easy as you'd think):

Baron's Mantella (Mantella baroni)















A pretty little frog found all over the country:

Betsileo Reed Frog (Heterixalus betsileo)















Betsileo Reed Frog (Heterixalus betsileo)





















There are more frogs in Madagascar than there are names for them, and many of the smaller species don't seem to have one.

No Common Name (Blommersia grandisonae)















Eyeballs!

Greater Madagascan Green Treefrog (Boophis luteus)















We found this little forest frog in a number of places, and it never seemed to look the same twice.  In the breeding season they turn completely yellow!

Madagascar Wood Frog (Aglyptodactylus madagascariensis)





















Madagascar Wood Frog (Aglyptodactylus madagascariensis)















Madagascar Wood Frog (Aglyptodactylus madagascariensis)















Madagascar Wood Frog (Aglyptodactylus madagascariensis)
















Another common frog, this guy is strikingly similar (in both appearance and behaviour) to our Leopard Frogs.

Mascarene Grass Frog (Ptychadena madagascariensis)





















Mascarene Grass Frog (Ptychadena madagascariensis)















This next one is vexing - it took forever to identify this little frog, and nowhere can I find another photo in which it is sporting its mossy camouflage.  I had assumed the 'moss' was fake - simply a part of the frog's skin - but now I'm not so sure...

Moser's Forest Frog (Gephyromantis moseri)















Another seemingly nameless, but pretty, little forest frog.

No Common Name (Platypelis barbouri)















Wow, that was a long one!  Hopefully more to come soon!

Kyle

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Last from Africa

Well it is officially departure day after over 2 months in Africa - it has been an amazing trip but I am definitely ready to get home!  Had a bit of time at the hostel this morning, so here are a few quick picks (and quick edits) from the most recent leg of the journey:

White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)















Flap-necked Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis)















Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)















Lots more photos to go through, and I will do my best to post them as I get to them in the coming weeks!

Kyle