6 RARE FROGS DISCOVERED IN HAITI'S MOUNTAINS

In October 2010, a team of scientists set out for the remote mountains of southern Haiti in search of lost frogs. The expedition—led by Dr Robin Moore of Conservation International and Dr. Blair Hedges of Pennsylvania State University—was part of a worldwide Conservation International project aimed at finding amphibian species that have not been sighted in over a decade and which are feared to be extinct.

Haiti's amphibians are gravely threatened by the near total clear-cutting of the country's tropical forests. Less than two percent of Haiti's original forests remain intact and as a result, 92 percent of the country's 49 known native amphibian species are threatened.

Dr. Moore and Dr. Hedges explored two mountain forest regions of Haiti, the Massif de la Hotte in the southewst and the Massif de la Sell in the southeast. They had hoped to find just one of Haiti's elusive frog species. Instead, they found six critically endangered frogs, none of which had been seen in nearly twenty years.

For a country that has faced devistation and pain since the 2010 earthquake that struck just outside the capital city of Port-au-Prince, the rediscovery of these rare endemic frogs provides a rare beacon of pride and hope amidst otherwise incomprehensible pain and struggle.

Ventriloqual Frog, Eleutherodactylus dolomedes"The devastation that the people of Haiti are still coping with is almost unimaginable. I have never seen anything like it," said Dr. Moore. "Clearly, the health of Haiti's frogs is not anyone's primary concern here. However, the ecosystems these frogs inhabit, and their ability to support life, is critically important to the long-term well-being of Haiti's people, who depend on healthy forests for their livelihoods, food security and fresh water. Amphibians are what we call barometer species of our planet's health. They're like the canaries in the coal mine. As they disappear, so too do the natural resources people depend upon to survive."

The six species of frogs rediscovered by Dr. Moore and Dr. Hedges included five species last seen in 1991—the Hispaniolan ventriloquial frog, Mozart's frog, La Hotte glanded frog, Macaya breast-spot frog, Hispaniolan crowned frog—and one species last seen in 1996—the Macaya burrowing frog.

Haiti has suffered many environmental and human disasters in addition to the January 2010 earthquake. More recently, the country has been battling a cholera outbreak. In the midst of these human struggles, the natural environment of Haiti is also suffering. Without the immediate action by international conservation organizations and government agencies, Haiti will surely experience widening habitat destruction and mass extinctions. The rediscovery of six frog species previously feared to be extinct offers renewed hope for conservationists and evidence of the resiliency of the region's rare wildlife.

SHOULD YOU HAVE A SNAKE AS A PET?

So you are thinking about getting a snake for a pet? Snakes make wonderful pets if you are careful and you know what type of snake to get. Some snakes are not a good fit for you and your family, while others are wonderful for most any family. This article will explore the things you need to consider before taking on a snake as a pet, along with what types of snakes make good pets.

One of the first things you must consider when you are getting a snake for a pet is the care of the reptile. A snake is not an animal you can just stick in a cage. Snakes have special needs in captivity, and it goes a bit further than just dietary concerns. For example, did you know that you have to provide a heat source for your snake? Also, you have to provide water, and various other things to allow your snake to feel at home like they do in the wild.

Different species have different needs, so you can not treat all snakes the same. Before you own any snake for a pet, you should research the species and learn about any of these special health needs.
Another concern that many people do not realize is that you often have to feed the snake live prey. Some snakes will eat already dead food, but the vast majority like to eat live prey. That means mice, rats, rabbits (for larger snakes), or other similar mammals. This can be a very troubling experience for some people.

Snakes are very good pets if you get the right kind and you know how to care for them. Where many people mess up with snakes as pets is when they try to keep a venomous snake or larger species of snake. These snakes are very dangerous, and should never be kept as pets unless you are a herpetologist or similar reptile expert. Some of the more dangerous snakes in North America are the coral snake, rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths. These snakes are capable of killing a human being, and should never be kept as a pet.

Other snakes are available that are very good pets for most snake owners. Some good examples of types of snakes that are good pets include corn snakes, garter snakes, king snakes, and some of the smaller boas and pythons such as the ball python. Even these smaller pythons and boas can still get fairly large so you should consider this when thinking of owning one as a pet.

Snakes overall make excellent pets. Just be sure that you think it through, and learn your species. Stay away from the larger snakes, as well as the venomous snakes as pets. If you stick to these general principles, you should have a very nice experience owning your new pet snake.