Words on Wellness: Pacific Tree Frog
Rains and wind mix with the promise of warm sunshine and the deafening chorus of Pacific tree frogs - the quintessential song of spring. These little critters, whose bodies are the size of a walnut, can pack a sound punch when they join in ponds, bogs and puddles for their annual mating rites. That signature sound is made by males attempting to attract females to the water’s edge. As one chirps, others join in, competing for the interest of any available lady frogs in a torrent of overlapping ribbits. They place themselves under rocks, logs and drainage pipes to capture the acous- tics, throwing their voices to sound bigger and louder – just stand outside at night and listen to their hubbub. I once walked to ocean’s edge during full moon following a chirping chorus to an unlikely spot along the cliffs within the tidal spray zone. There, on a rocky outcropping, I discovered the smallest swale fed by a seasonal drip that was in full frog party mode.
A female lays up to 750 eggs in separate clumps, which the male fertilizes. Each egg mass surrounded by a protective jelly is attached to vegetation and camouflaged by algae. Eggs hatch within five weeks and quickly grow into tadpoles with half-inch ju- veniles climbing out of the water six to eight weeks later. Most frogs die before this, eaten by fish, bullfrogs, herons, egrets, dragonfly larvae, raccoons and reptiles. Humans also take their toll in the form of lawn mowers, pesticides, cats and cars. Despite high mortality rates, Pacific tree frogs are thriving and admirable in their do-diligent diet of spiders, beetles, flies, and ants, eating insects nearly as large as they are, by ex- panding their bodies to accommodate.
After their fall/winter hibernation, their spring sound-bloom brings us joy and im- parts a contagious enthusiasm that some of us need in the last months of stormy weath- er. Research indicates the pitch and volume of these little critters adjusts to surrounding noise. Urban tree frogs are louder and this effort creates stress that raises their cortisol levels, which in turn reduces sperm counts. Such findings may be telling of what hap- pens for other species, including our own. Here on the north coast the volume of frogs far exceeds human volume and I for one, hope it stays that way!
