Maryland’s Frogs Need Help!!! Jessica M.

Why Frogs Are Important We can get new medicines from frogs that can save lives! Frogs are bio-indicators, if they are around you can tell how well the environment is faring. Frogs are an important part of the food chain: They eat animals and animals eat them. This is a yellow poisonous dart frog. Their poisonous skin secretions can be used for medicine which may be able to be used to prevent heart attacks.

What Harms Them Climate change can affect their habitat. Pollution makes their natural habitat unfit for them, and they can absorb harmful substances into their skin. UV radiation can damage their sensitive skin Fungal skin infections can be fatal to frogs Overactive predators eat too many frogs, in fact humans are overharvesting and eating frogs! Parasites are causing frogs to become ill. Northern Green Frog found in Maryland.

How We Can Help! As you can probably tell, frogs really need our help to make a recovery. Here’s how you can help: Leave them in their habitat Don’t litter or pollute Report Maryland frog sighting to MARA, keep track of them Dispose properly of household chemicals Create/preserve their habitats TELL OTHER PEOPLE TO HELP!!! This woman and her group are recording frogs they sight and preserving their habitats! ---------

Sighting Reports I have some recent and past data of frog sightings in our local Cove Point Park. I have arranged them into a timeline for you to see how scarcely they have been reported, you need to see they need help!

Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) The only reporting of the common wood frog in Cove Point Park was in 1940!!! The wood frog was not found in the most recent survey of the park, if it is present in Cove Point Park, it is an uncommon to rare species. 1940 Mansueti

Northern Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) Spring Peeper calls are commonly heard in Cove Point. They have been only been reported with sightings twice, however. 1942 1999 Mansueti Orr

Upland Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata) This species is a small, rarely encountered species that has not been heard previously in Cove Point Park. Their calls have been heard locally more recently, but not often sighted. 1999 Orr

Pickrel Frog (Rana palustris) The Pickrel Frog is common at Cove Point Park. It is often found near marshes and draining streams. 1947 1999 Cooper Orr

Southern Leopard Frog (Rana utricularia) The Southern Leopard Frog is abundant at Cove Point. They can be observed in wet, grassy areas or bodies of water. 1942 1947 1950 1999 Mansueti Cooper Cooper Orr

Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) It is a relatively common species at Cove Point, can often be heard on rainy evenings. They can change from gray to green at any given point. 1936 1962 1970 1999 Hassler and Noble Mansuetti and Hardy Zweifel Orr

Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii) This is a burrowing species, it makes it’s home underground. 1947 1956 Cooper Reed

Fowler’s Toad (Bufo woodhousii) This is a commonly heard species at Cove Point, not often reported. 1942 1999 Mansueti Orr

Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans) Typically found around marsh-y areas, they are abundant at Cove Point. 1936 1942 1999 Noble Mansueti Orr and Hassler

Green Frog (Rana clamitans) Common at Cove Point, typically found around streams. 1936 1942 1947 1950 1999 Noble Cooper Cooper Mansueti Orr And Hassler

American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) Bullfrogs can be heard from marshes and ponds. They can grow to be EXTREMELY large and are common at Cove Point. 1936 1942 1947 1950 1999 Noble & Hassler Mansueti Cooper Cooper Orr

Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea) Can be often seen in Cove Point, particularly on rainy days. While they are still abundant today, they are clearly not as common as they previously were. 1936 1942 1950 Noble & Hassler Mansueti Cooper