Welcome to a brand new week of Wild Facts!  I trust all of you enjoyed your weekend and are ready for the week.  I don’t know about all of you but I am really looking forward to this week.  I get the feeling that it will be an amazing week and I am glad that I get to share it with each and everyone of you.  To get the week started in the right direction we are heading to one of my favourite wildlife places, Madagascar, where we will find this bright coloured amphibian called the Tomato Frog.  If you are as intrigued as I am about this creature then keep reading.

Obviously the first thing you notice about the Tomato Frog is the bright red colouring.  Now, I have never had the opportunity to name an animal and I don’t claim to know a lot about typical naming conventions but I am going to go out on a limb and suggest the bright red colour lead to this frog’s common name.  If you have been following Wild Facts for any amount of time you should know the answer to the following question (if you don’t then I haven’t been doing my job very well).  What does it typically mean when an animal has bright colouring?  No, it doesn’t mean that they are sloppy finger painters (well I guess it could), it means they are most likely toxic.

Of course the Tomato Frog is posionous, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked the previous question.  When this frog is threatened they will puff up their body and release a thick substance from their skin that causes the potential predators eyes and mouth to “gum” up.  Naturally, the predator will drop their prey in an attempt to figure out why they can’t open their eyes anymore.  Although this gummy substance won’t kill a human the poison in this secretion can cause an allergic reaction.  My advice is not to scare a Tomato Frog and definitely don’t try to put it in your mouth.

Tomato Frog Fast Fact – Although they can puff out and act big, the Tomato Frog usually ranges from 5-10 cm (2-4 inches) in length.  Usually the female is the larger of the two genders.  Just remember that you can stand up for what you believe in no matter how big and strong you are.  Especially if what you believe in is not being consumed by a mean ol’ predator.

That just about does it for the nice, bright Tomato Frog.  Now go and enjoy the rest of your day. I will see all of you here bright and early tomorrow morning… don’t be late!