An invasive species of carnivorous tree frogs that feed on native wildlife at the moment are breeding in Georgia, an indication that the amphibians have gained a stronger foothold within the state, biologists say.
Cuban treefrogs, Osteopilus septentrionalis, are a largely canopy-dwelling species native to the Caribbean. It’s unclear precisely after they made the leap throughout the Straits of Florida, however the species was first documented in Florida within the mid-1900s.
Within the a long time since, the frogs have unfold throughout the Southeast and past. They had been found in Georgia in 2004, however had been doubtless within the southern a part of the state lengthy earlier than that, stated Daniel Sollenberger, the state herpetologist and a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Division of Pure Sources (DNR).
Cuban treefrogs can attain 5 and a half inches lengthy—sufficiently big to cowl most of an grownup human’s hand and far bigger than any of Georgia’s native tree frogs. And the frogs will eat “something they’ll put of their mouth,” Sollenberger stated, from bugs and lizards to different tree frogs and even small rodents.
Final yr for the primary time, a breeding inhabitants of the frogs was found in a pond alongside the Georgia coast, Sollenberger says. Breeding populations imply extra people—and extra alternatives to unfold.
Sollenberger says Georgia’s chilly winters have to date restricted the frogs’ proliferation outdoors of developed areas alongside the coast. To outlive, the frogs keep near civilization, driving out the winter months in artificially heated environments, like transformer packing containers or beneath buildings.
However Georgia, like the remainder of the planet, is heating up attributable to human-caused local weather change. The warming pattern is most pronounced within the winter months, and within the long-term, Sollenberger stated it’s attainable the frogs’ territory might increase.
With the frogs drawn to the heat of campers, RVs and different modes of transportation, it’s attainable that profitable stowaways might enhance numbers outdoors of the coastal areas the place they’re commonest at the moment.
For now, Cuban tree frogs are primarily a risk to yard populations of native amphibians. And in comparison with different invasives, just like the Argentine tegu, the frogs are far much less problematic. If the tegus—which feed on the eggs of native birds and reptiles—are a 9 on a scale of 1–10, the frogs are a 4, Sollenberger stated.
“Cuban treefrogs are regarding, however they’re a distant second due to their reliance on human habitation,” he stated.
Sollenberger stated DNR want to take away the frogs from the panorama and inspired Georgians to doc sightings.
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This article by Drew Kann, The Atlanta Journal-Structure was first printed by Phys.org on 5 January 2024. Lead Picture: Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis). Credit score: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
