After long dry spell, have our frogs croaked?

^{Chinese Bull Frog}

A couple of weeks ago jogging on Yung Shue O Rd you could hear the frogs were having a party. “Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit”, they were telling each other, whatever that means in froggy. Then we had a prolonged dry spell. The watercourses were bone dry. There was no water at all to sustain the amphibians.  Had the frogs croaked?

^{Graham Reels}

We thought, ask a zoologist. Graham Reels used to be a field researcher for the University of Hong Kong and wrote a book about it, “Confessions of a Hong Kong Naturalist”.  In response to our query, Had there been a Mass Frog Extinction? Graham wrote:

“Glad to see you are still taking note of the wildlife around you. The local amphibians are quite robust and if there is a temporary period of drought during the wet season they’ll just hunker down somewhere dark and moist and sit it out. They’re unlikely to be badly affected unless the dry spell lasts for many weeks.”

Thank you, Graham. We are pleased to learn our froggy friends are likely to be safe. The rains will soon come and they’ll start up their CroakFest again.

^{Giant spiny frog}

According to the University of Hong Kong biosciences department there are 24 species of amphibians in Hong Kong including newts and toads. There are some exotic creatures among the frogs: Butler’s Pigmy Frog, Paddy Frog, Chinese Bullfrog and Giant Spiny Frog.

^{Butler’s pigmy frog}

In most frog species only the males croak. They croak to attract female frogs for breeding and to warn away other males. Female frogs think croaking is very sexy.

“Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit.”