Synopses & Reviews
Marty Crump has searched for salamanders along the Amazon River; she has surveyed amphibians and reptiles in hostile Huaorani Indian territory; she has been stung by a conga ant and had run-ins with an electric eel, a boa constrictor, and a bushmaster viper. In the course of her travels she has dined, not always eagerly, on wild rat, parrot, guinea pig, and chicken foot soup. And for those among us who prefer our experiences to be vicarious and far away from biting insects, venomous snakes, and inhospitable surroundings, she has written
In Search of the Golden Frog.
The book is a detailed and fascinating chronicle of Crump's adventures as a field biologistand#8212;and as a wife and motherand#8212;in South and Central America. Following Crump on her research trips through Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, we learn of amazingly diverse landscapes, equally diverse national traditions and customs, and the natural history of her subject of study, the frog. In leading us through rain forests and onto windswept coasts, Crump introduces us to such compelling creatures as female harlequin frogs, who pounce on males and pound their heads against the ground, and also sounds an alarm about the precipitous decline in amphibian populations around the globe.
Crump's perspectives as both a scientist and a mother, juggling the demands of family and professional life, make this highly readable account of fieldwork simultaneously close to home and wildly exotic. A combination of nature writing and travel writing, the richly illustrated In Search of the Golden Frog will whet travelers' appetites, affirm the experiences of seasoned field biologists, and offer the armchair naturalist vivid descriptions of amphibians and their habitats.
Synopsis
With over 7,000 known species, frogs display a stunning array of forms and behaviors. A single gram of the toxin produced by the skin of the Golden Poison Frog can kill 100,000 people. Male Darwinandrsquo;s Frogs carry their tadpoles in their vocal sacs for sixty days before coughing them out into the world. The Wood Frogs of North America freeze every winter, reanimating in the spring from the glucose and urea that prevent cell collapse.
The Book of Frogsand#160;commemorates the diversity and magnificence of all of these creatures, and many more. Six hundred of natureandrsquo;s most fascinating frog species are displayed, with each entry including a distribution map, sketches of the frogs, species identification, natural history, and conservation status. Life-size color photos show the frogs at their actual sizeandmdash;including the colossal seven-pound Goliath Frog. Accessibly written by expert Tim Halliday and containing the most up-to-date information,and#160;The Book of Frogsand#160;will captivate both veteran researchers and amateur herpetologists.
As frogs increasingly make headlines for their troubling worldwide decline, the importance of these fascinating creatures to their ecosystems remains underappreciated.and#160;The Book of Frogs brings readers face to face with six hundred astonishingly unique and irreplaceable species that display a diverse array of adaptations to habitats that are under threat of destruction throughout the world.
About the Author
Marty Crump is currently an adjunct professor of biology at Utah State and Northern Arizona Universities. She has been a herpetologist for more than forty-five years, working with tropical amphibians in the areas of parental care, reproduction, territoriality, cannibalism, and tadpole ecology. Her work hasand#160;drawn attention to theand#160;issue ofand#160;declining amphibian populations. In addition to her science writing, In addition to her popular science writing, she is the author of the recent award-winning childrenandrsquo;s book, The Mystery of Darwinandrsquo;s Frog. She lives in Logan, UT.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
1. From Kansas to the Emerald Forest
2. Amazonian Brazil
3. Field Course in Costa Rica
4. The Many Ways to Beget a Frog
5. Want Some Respect? Wave a Viper.
6. Expressing in the Rain
7. Lost Gold of the Elfin Forest
8. Mama Llamas and Toothy Escuerzos
9. The Maxus Experience
10. Remembering ayahuasca
11. Tadpole Toters
12. Reflections
Epilogue
Maps
Appendix A: Common and Scientific Names of Amphibians and Reptiles
Appendix B: Declining Amphibian Populations
Bibliography and Suggested Reading
Index