Watch Out For Clawed Frogs In Tampa Bay
As if we don’t have enough invasive species problems in the our state…Burmese pythons, nile crocs, poisonous toads… Now we have to be on the lookout for clawed frogs. They’re…
As if we don't have enough invasive species problems in the our state...Burmese pythons, nile crocs, poisonous toads...
Now we have to be on the lookout for clawed frogs. They're indigenous to Western Africa, but a "breeding site" has been discovered at a Riverview runoff pond back in 2014.
You can recognize them by their protruding eyes, flattened bodies. They also have small talons on their legs.
These frogs are bad news because they can potentially spread disease. They can also disrupt ecosystems.
Christina Romagosa, a UF/IFAS research associate professor of wildlife ecoology and conservation. She explained that, “The Tropical clawed frog invasion represents yet another disturbance to Florida’s aquatic ecosystems, particularly those in southern Florida, which are already vulnerable due to habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species and disease."
But HOW did the Western clawed frog arrive in our area? They've now been found in 22 of 43 bodies of water around our Tampa Bay area.
For more on this story, click here.
4 Ways To Save on Gas
