12 Amphibians of Christmas

We thought we’d put an amphibian spin on the Christmas carol, the 12 Days of Christmas, which lists a series of gifts given on each of the twelve days after Christmas. We hope you enjoy it!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:

Support AArk - 12 Amphibians of Christmas 2 Turtle Frogs - 12 Amphibians of Christmas 3 French newts - 12 Amphibians of Christmas

An AArk donation gifted from me!

Supporting the AArk helps to ensure the survival of some of the world’s most threatened amphibian species. Show that you care about amphibians!

2 Turtle Frogs

The Turtle Frog from Western Australia, has a rounded body, with very short limbs and a small head, making it resemble a miniature sumo wrestler and has a super appetite for termites to maintain its stocky stature.

3 French newts

The Northern Crested Newt occurs from Great Britain, through France and across most of Europe and grows to between 14-16 cm. To impress the ladies, males can be distinguished by their fabulous, jagged crest during the breeding season.

4 calling toads - 12 Amphibians of Christmas 5 Golden Mantellas - 12 Amphibians of Christmas 6 caecilians a-laying - 12 Amphibians of Christmas

4 Calling toads

The Houston Toad is endemic to Texas and the first amphibian to be put on the Endangered Species List in 1973. Males have a high pitched trill call that lasts for about 12 seconds.

5 Golden Mantellas

The Golden Mantella is one of Madagascar’s threatened frog species and is currently being bred by the Mitsinjo Association in central Madagascar.

6 Caecilians a-laying

Did you know that all caecilians have internal fertilization and males have a copulatory organ called a phallodeum? Female caecilians brood their clutch of eggs until the fully-formed babies hatch, 2-3 months later.

7 Tadpoles a-swimming 8 Amazon frogs a-milking 9 Salamanders dancing
7 Tadpoles a-swimming

Anuran (frog and toad) tadpoles undergo 46 stages in metamorphosis!

8 Amazon frogs a-milking

The Amazon Milk Frog is a large frog from the Amazon in Central America that secretes a milky fluid when stressed.

9 Salamanders dancing

Did you know that many salamander species seduce females with elaborate courtship displays, including nudging and using their tails to waft sex pheromones?

10 Rocket Frogs a-leaping 11 Peepers peeping 12 Zeteki drumming
10 Rocket Frogs a-leaping

The longest recorded leap by a frog is 33 feet, or 10 meters! It was a Sharp-nosed Rocket Frog in South Africa.

11 Peepers peeping

The Spring Peeper is a widespread and common frog through eastern USA and Canada. Their high pitched call sound like little chicks “peeping” and they are one of the first frogs to be heard calling in the late winter/early spring months. Look for the “X” on the back!

12 Zeteki drumming

The critically endangered Panamanian Golden Frog has an amazing adaptation for living in cloud forest streams with loud, rushing water. In addition to vocalizations, they also communicate with other golden frogs by hand-waving, known as semaphores.