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Table of Contents
Frogs
Green and Black Poison Dart Frog…………………………………………………..2
Sambavo Tomato Frog…………………………………………………………………...4
Smoky Jungle Frog………………………………………………………….………………5
Blue-legged Mantella………………………………………………….………………….6
Green Mantella……………………………………………………………………………...7
Golden Mantella……………………………….……………………………………………8
Magnificent Tree Frog……………………………………………………………………10
Grey Tree Frog………………………………….……………………………………………11
Salamanders
Marbled Salamander……………………………………………………………………..12
Eastern Tiger Salamander………………………………………………………………14
Invertebrates
Animal Information
Natural Treasures
Amphibians & Invertebrates
2
Green and Black Poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Natural Treasures building and the Frogs building.
Individual Animals: 14
Life Expectancy
Wild: Unknown
Under Managed Care: 8 years
Statistics
Length – 1.5 inches
Diet
Small invertebrates, mainly ants that have high
quantities of alkaloids in their tissues. The frogs can sequester those alkaloids in their
skin, which is what makes them poisonous.
Predators
Toxic skin prevents predation.
Habitat
Floor of rain forests, near small streams or pools.
Region
Central and South America, from Nicaragua and Costa Rica to southeastern Brazil and
Bolivia.
o They were introduced in Hawaii by humans,
and have flourished there.
Reproduction
Males fight among themselves to establish
territories, which are then fixed for the remainder of
the mating season.
The male attracts a female with vocalizations
consisting of trilling sounds.
The female lays up to six eggs in a small pool of water.
o The eggs are encased in a gelatinous substance for protection.
During the two week development period, the male returns to the eggs periodically to
check on them.
Once the tadpoles hatch, they climb onto the males
back and he carries them to a place suitable for
further development, such as a lake or a stream. For
the duration of this trip, the tadpoles are attached
to the males back by a mucus secretion, which is
soluble only in water so that there is no chance of
them accidentally falling off. Once they are at their
final destination, the tadpoles are on their own.
They take an additional six weeks to develop into
adult frogs.
3
Green and Black Poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Behavior – Diurnal
Males use vocalizations to attract females for mating and advertise territories.
Adaptations
Poison glands located throughout the surface of their body.
Sticky, retractable tongues as well as their excellent eyesight help capture their prey.
Conservation Concerns
Habitat loss
Deforestation
Collection for the pet trade
Conservation Ask
Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you make every day purchasing decisions
o When you make purchases, support green companies/eco-labels
o Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council
4
Sambava Tomato Frog
Dyscophus guineti
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Natural Treasures building.
Individual Animals: 3 of undetermined gender
Arrived on November 16, 2018
Life Expectancy – 6-10 years
Statistics
Males tend to be yellowish; Females reddish-orange.
Length – Males: 2.5 inches; Females: 3.5 inches
Diet – Crickets, worms, and spiders.
Predators – No known natural predators
Habitat
Rainforests, swamp forests, streams, and almost stagnant side-ponds.
Region
This species occurs widely along the eastern
rainforest belt of Madagascar. It is a very secretive
species and probably occurs at many more
localities than records indicate.
Reproduction
Breeding can occur every other year.
Deposit between 1,000 and 1,500 eggs.
Behavior – Nocturnal
Burrows in moss, leaf litter and soft soil.
Adaptations
When threatened, these frogs can inflate
themselves, giving the appearance of greater size.
This frog will secrete a thick white substance that contains toxins and irritants to keep
potential predators at bay.
Conservation Concerns
Habitat loss, deforestation, intensified agriculture, and urbanization.
Conservation Ask
Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you make every day purchasing decisions
o When you make purchases, support green companies/eco-labels
Rainforest Alliance
5
Smoky Jungle Frog Leptodactylus pentadactylus
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Natural Treasures building in a mixed species habitat
with a Brazilian Rainbow Boa and an Amazon Tree Boa
Individual Animals: 2 Males, 2 Females
Group arrived September 18, 2014
Life Expectancy – up to 15 years
Statistics
Length – up to 7 inches
Females tend to be larger.
Diet
Small birds, snakes, and other frogs.
Predators
Coatimundis, Caiman, and Snakes
Habitat
Wetlands, Forest, Aquatic, and Marine
Region
This species is widely distributed in the Amazon forest. It ranges from southern
Colombia, eastern Ecuador and eastern Peru in the west of its range, into northern
Bolivia, much of central and parts of norther
Brazil, with records from French Guiana.
Reproduction
Mating occurs from May through November
Behavior – Nocturnal
Opportunistic feeder, consuming anything they
can swallow.
Adaptations
Secrets mucus making them toxic to predators.
Conservation Concerns
There are no threats to this species
Conservation Ask
Support Global and Local Conservation Programs
o Participate in local conservation and
citizen science efforts (habitats, species)
Join Frogwatch
6
Blue-legged Mantella
Mantella expectata
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Natural Treasures building with Green Mantellas and
Golden Mantellas.
Individual Animals: 5
Life Expectancy
Data deficient
Statistics
Length – 1 inch
Diet – Insectivore
Termites, fruit flies, and arthropods.
Predators
Toxic skin prevents predation.
Habitat
Wetlands, forest.
Region
Southwestern Madagascar.
Reproduction
Females lay 2-6 clutches of over 35 eggs.
Behavior
Active during the first few hours after dawn.
Adaptations
Blue-legged mantellas have toxic skin secretions,
protecting them from predators.
Conservation Concerns
Habitat loss due to grazing and, in some localized
regions, due to sapphire mining which is also a
high risk for extending into protected areas in the
vicinity.
Conservation Ask
Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you
make every day purchasing decisions
o When you make purchases, support green
companies/eco-labels
o Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council
7
Green Mantella
Mantella viridis
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Natural Treasures building with Golden Mantellas and
Blue-legged Mantellas.
Individual Animals: 8
Life Expectancy
Wild: data deficient
Statistics
Length – 1.2 inches
Diet – Insectivore
Termites, fruit flies, and arthropods.
Predators
Toxic skin prevents predation.
Habitat
Found near temporary brooks and streams, also
forests.
Region
Northern Madagascar.
Reproduction
Clutches consist of 15 to 60 eggs.
Behavior
Diurnal
Adaptations
Green mantellas have toxic skin secretions,
protecting them from predators.
Conservation Concerns
Habitat loss due to the impacts of fires, selective
logging and the collection of firewood, and livestock
grazing.
Conservation Ask
Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you
make every day purchasing decisions
o When you make purchases, support green companies/eco-labels
o Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council
8
Golden Mantella
Mantella aurantiaca
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Natural Treasures building with Green Mantellas and
Blue-legged Mantellas.
Individual Animals: 13
Some individuals are kept behind the scenes.
Life Expectancy
Wild: up to 8 years
Under Managed Care: up to 8 years
Statistics
Length – 1.25 inches
Females tend to be larger.
Diet – Insectivore
Termites, fruit flies, and arthropods.
Predators
Toxic skin prevents predation.
Habitat
Swamps and mossy or grassy mounds of forest
debris.
Region
Isolated patches ranging throughout
southeastern Madagascar.
Reproduction
Sexual maturity is reached in 12 to 14 months.
Clutches consist of 12 to 30 eggs.
Tadpoles emerge from eggs after 2-6 days.
Tadpoles typically metamorphose into froglets 6
to 8 weeks after hatching.
Once the eggs are laid, parent golden mantellas have no further involvement in the
development of their young.
9
Golden Mantella
Mantella aurantiaca
Behavior – Diurnal
Golden mantellas use auditory cues, and may also use visual or chemical cues to
communicate.
Adaptations
Golden mantellas have toxic skin secretions, protecting them from predators.
Conservation Concerns
Habitat loss due to threats from subsistence agriculture, timber extraction, fires, and
expanding human settlements.
Conservation Ask
Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you make every day purchasing decisions
o When you make purchases, support green companies/eco-labels
o Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council
10
Magnificent Tree Frog Litoria splendida
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Natural Treasures building.
Individual Animals: 10
Life Expectancy – Data deficient
Statistics – Length – 3.9 inches
Diet – Insects of all kinds, earthworms, and spiders.
Predators – Snakes and lizards
Habitat – Forests and wetlands.
Region
From the Kimberley Region, Western
Australia, and northwestern Northern
Territory to Bradshaw Station.
Reproduction
Males produce the substance Spendipherin
which is a pheromone they release into the
surrounding water to attract females.
Breeding takes place early in the wet
season at the onset of monsoon rains
(December and January).
A female lays on average 1000 eggs in
floating clumps that form a single layer
on the surface of the water.
Tadpoles take 1-4 months to develop.
Adaptations
Possess vomerine teeth, small
projections in the top of a frog's
mouth, which function in holding
captured prey.
Bulbous gland on the dorsal side of the head is a poison gland, the biggest of any
amphibian in Australia. The poison doesn’t affect humans, but it does deter birds from
eating the frog.
Conservation Concerns – There are no known threats to this species.
Conservation Ask
Support Global and Local Conservation Programs
o Participate in local conservation and citizen science efforts (habitats, species)
Join Frogwatch
11
Gray Tree Frog Hyla versicolor
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Small Jewel Exhibit in the Natural Treasures building.
Individual Animals: 5
Life Expectancy
Wild: Data deficient
Can live up to 7 years under managed care
Statistics – Length – 1.25-2 inches
Diet – Insects including mites, spiders, plant lice,
harvestmen, and snails.
Predators – Birds, snakes, other frogs, and small mammals.
Habitat – Wooded areas near temporary and permanent
waters like swamps, ponds, and lakes.
Region – From southern Ontario and Maine, westward to
central Texas, and northwest to Manitoba.
Reproduction
Female choice dominates the mating scheme of
gray tree frogs.
Eggs are fertilized externally.
Tadpoles hatch in 3-7 days and metamorphosize
into froglets in 6-8 weeks.
Behavior – Arboreal
Most active in the evening.
Hibernation ends in the early months of spring.
Opportunistic cannibals: may eat other gray tree
frogs if they are small enough to catch and swallow.
Adaptations
Large toepads produce mucous to adhere to smooth bark.
Their skin is able to assume most natural colors in which it comes into contact.
Produces glycerol during periods of cold weather, which allows an individual to ‘freeze’
itself, while maintaining interior metabolic processes at a very slow rate.
Conservation Concerns – There are no major threats to this species.
Conservation Ask
Support Global and Local Conservation Programs
o Participate in local conservation and citizen science efforts (habitats, species)
12
Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Small Jewel habitat of the Michigan Wall in the Natural
Treasures building.
Individual Animals: 1 Undetermined Gender
Estimated hatch: March 2015
o Unknown location
Arrived: March 31, 2015
o Public donor
Life Expectancy
Wild: Data deficient
Under Managed Care: 3-4 years
Statistics
Length – 3.5-4.2 inches
Females tend to be larger.
Diet – Carnivore
Small worms, insects, slugs, snails, crustaceans, and the larvae of amphibians.
Predators
Snakes, owls, raccoons, skunks, shrews, weasels.
Habitat
Damp woodlands, often close to ponds or streams. Sometimes dry hillsides.
Region
Eastern United States, from Massachusetts west to central Illinois, southeastern
Missouri and Oklahoma and eastern Texas, south to the Gulf of Mexico and the Carolina
coast. Disjoint
populations are
found in eastern
Missouri, central
Illinois, in northwest
Ohio/northeast
Indiana, and along
the southern edges of
Lake Michigan and
Lake Erie.
13
Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum
Reproduction
Breeding occurs in fall, and entirely on land.
Sexual maturity is reached in 17 to 26 months.
Clutches consist of 50-100 eggs.
As soon as the autumn rains come the eggs will
hatch in the depression they were originally laid
in. If rain never comes the eggs will remain
dormant through the winter if temperatures do
not fall too low, then hatch the following spring.
Tadpoles emerge from eggs after 2-6 days.
Tadpole metamorphosis occurs 2-9 months
after hatching (depending on temperature).
Behavior – Solitary
Will defend burrows they inhabit against others
of the same species.
Occasionally, adults will share burrows with
each other.
Adaptations
Poison glands located on the tail provide a degree of protection.
Conservation Concerns
This species is listed as threatened by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Intensive timber harvesting practices that reduce canopy closure, understory
vegetation, uncompacted forest litter, or coarse woody debris.
Conservation Ask
Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you make every day purchasing decisions
o When you make purchases, support green companies/eco-labels
o Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council
14
Eastern Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum
John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Upper Red Barn.
Individual Animals: 1 Male - Tigger
Estimated hatch: April 2013
o Unknown location
Arrived: April 22, 2013
o Public donor
Life Expectancy
Wild: Data deficient
Under Managed Care: Can reach up
to 20 years.
Statistics – Largest land dwelling salamander in North America
Length – 13.5 inches
Diet – Carnivore
Worms, snails, insects, and slugs
Predators
Badgers, bobcats, snakes, and owls.
o Larva are eaten by insects, salamander, and snakes.
Habitat
Forests, grasslands, or marshy areas.
Region
Southeastern Alaska east to the southern part of Labrador, and south throughout all of
the United States down to the southern edge of the Mexican Plateau
Reproduction
Migrates to the breeding
ponds in late winter or early
spring, usually after a warm
rain that thaws out the
ground's surface.
Courtship happens during
the night where the males
nudge and bump other
salamanders.
Laying of eggs occurs a night,
usually 24-48 hours after the
courtship and insemination.
Eggs are laid and attached to
twigs, grass stems, and
leaves that have decayed on
the bottom floor of the pond
Each female produces from 100 to 1000 eggs per season.
15
Eastern Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum
Behavior – Solitary, nocturnal
Tiger Salamanders live underground for most of the
year and usually dig their own burrows, unlike other
species that use burrows of other animals. They have
been found 2 feet below the surface. This allows
them to escape the temperature extremes on the
surface and may explain why they have such a wide
array of habitat types.
Adaptations
Poison glands located on the tail provide a degree of
protection.
Conservation Concerns
Deforestation and loss of wetland habitats for
agriculture
Conservation Ask
Be thoughtful while engaging and connecting with Nature
o Participate in nature friendly behavior
Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you make every day purchasing decisions
o When you make purchases, support green companies/eco-labels
o Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council