The colony of oriental fire-bellied toads on exhibit arrived at the Zoo on May 13, 1998.
Viewing Hints
Oriental fire-bellied toads are active during the day so our visitors can enjoy them with ease. These frogs are fun to observe, with their clumsy movement and gregarious habits; they sometimes climb atop each other in the moss covered log in their habitat enclosure. When in the water, they show their strikingly colored bellies.
Although it is typically referred to as toads, these frogs belong to the family Bombinatoridae and do not belong to the true toad family (Bufonidae). They are referred to as toads because of their warty skin, short snout and their legs, which are much like those of a toad, adapted for a terrestrial and semi aquatic existence.
Longevity
Estimating the age of frog in the wild is difficult. However, in captivity these frogs can live up to 8 years or more. The record goes to a fire belly toad from a collection in Europe that lived for 20 years!
Behavior
These frogs are diurnal, swimming along the banks in search of food and mates. They are very active and sometimes float at the water surface, showing their soft, strikingly colored belly as a warning to potential fishes that might try to eat them. The bright colors tell fishes that the frog’s skin is full of bad-tasting toxic chemicals.
On land, frogs of the genus Bombina exhibit a defensive posture called the unkenreflex. When confronted by a predator, it turns over and curves its bright belly upward, covering the eyes with its palms. Another defensive posture is to curve its body downward, lift up the head, and curve the extremities, showing the bright spots on its flanks and on the ventral surface of the extremities. The red color pattern is believed to warn potential predators of the toxins in the frog’s skin, and the unkenreflex is believed to startle or confuse predators.
Reproduction
Male fire-bellied toads have a soft voice. During the breeding season, males call incessantly during the day and evening trying to attract a mate. Once a female selects its partner she swims around with a male on her back and finds a suitable place for egg deposition, usually in a quite part of the stream or pond. About 200 eggs are typically attached singularly or in small groups to plants, rocks, roots.
Amphibian Conservation
Conservation at a Glance
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Amphibians are an important component of the global ecosystem, as indicators of environmental health and contributors to human health.
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Amphibians provide vital biomedicines and are considered an indicator species for endocrine disruptors and unsafe environmental conditions
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They are also vital components of their ecosystems - in areas of the world where amphibians have declined, there has been an increase in invertebrate pests that damage crops and carry human diseases.
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Today, one third to one half of all amphibian species worldwide are threatened with extinction.
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The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has joined with two branches of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) - the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) and the Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) - to form the Amphibian Ark (AArk).
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As an integral part of the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan, AArk was formulated to ensure that select species which would otherwise go extinct will be maintained in captivity until they can be secured in the wild.
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AArk keeps constant attention on the obligation to couple ex situ (in a captive setting) conservation measures with necessary efforts to protect or restore species in their natural habitats.
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AArk’s goal is to save as many species as possible by providing global coordination, technical guidance, training, necessary linkages to other IUCN groups, communications, and guiding publicity and capital campaigns.
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AArk’s goal is 100% participation of WAZA zoos and aquariums and the regional associations.
Learn more about the amphibian conservation efforts at the Philadelphia Zoo.