[Devin Edmonds]

While my peers were in Mexico getting drunk over spring break, I chose to be a nerd and travel to Chicago to visit the Shedd Aquarium and other museums and institutions. Here are a few photographs of some of the frogs at the Shedd:

On the right is the terrarium housing the yellow terribilis, on the left is one housing a few azureus.

Epipedobates zaparo

D. galactonotus terrarium

This terrarium housed many species of Mantella that the Shedd has produced including bernhardi, haraldmeieri, viridis and nigricans. Many of the frogs had spindley leg.

M. nigricans

M. haraldmeieri

A darker M. haraldmeieri

The next few photographs were taken earlier this week in my basement, they aren't the Shedd's frogs.

Panama green and bronze auratus

Reticulated auratus

I picked up two ventrimaculatus from Kevin and Brian Hoff on Sunday, this is one of them.

Mantella expectata terrarium

Mantella expectata, this is my brightest male.

 

[yuri]

I visited the Shedd last fall and it was impressive. The dart frog displays are quite nice and quite large. It is a good place for some inspiration.

Devon, your Mantella expectata tank looks great. You mentioned that the Shedd's mantella tank (which I did not see last fall) had frogs with spindly leg. Could you elaborate on this?

Thanks for posting the photos.

Yuri

 

[JJuchems]

I was thier just after the Amazon Rising opened. It was pretty sweet. The draw back is I was an adult on a 6th grade feild trip for my l younger sisters classes.
Later and Happy Frogging,
Jason Juchems

 

[Guest]

In this picture, is that a millipede to the left and between those two green leaves, if u see what i mean?

Thanks Tom

 

[dmartin72]

Oh yeah, I see what you're talking about...NOT. I must be getting old and have bad eyes.

*EDIT* I see it now...looks just like you said.

 

[mbrutger]

I see it too. It sure looks like one.

 

[DaFrogMan]

Nice pictures Devin. Thats a shame that they have a bunch of mantelas with SLS. Whoever made those terrariums had a lot of good ideas though.

By the way, does that water letuce do alright in your terrarium? I've always thought about trying some for in my water feature but I'm affraid that it will die or get too big.

 

[Devin Edmonds]

Yuri - There were a number of adult M. haraldmeieri that had deformed arms. They were small and bent out of shape and looked like they were frogs that survived to adult size with SLS. They were also on the thin side, probably because the normal frogs were getting to the food before they were. I spoke to one of the keepers and he used the term "pure line of frogs" to describe the frogs that they were working with in back, so I'm assuming that many of the frogs in the display tank had things wrong with them or were from bad clutches of eggs. In addition to the spindley haraldmeieri, there were other mantella frogs that just didn't look right, either too fat or didn't have the normal mantella body structure.

GodJockey - I think I remember reading on the front of that terrarium that there were millipedes in with the zaparo. I didn't see them until you pointed it out in the picture. It's kind of a cool concept, I wonder if they have problems with the pedes eating the plants in the tank.

FrogMan - The water lettuce is a new addition and hasn't been in the tank for more than a month. I picked up a few containers of it a while back at a reptile show with a friend. So far both of ours are doing well, hopefully it will remain that way.

 

[Moe]

I dont think the Millipedes are a problem for frog tanks. I've read somewhere they are great 'mixing' specimens to introduce to an established tank, as they only feed on decaying matter ive been told.

M.N

 

[Mantellaprince20]

Devin,
Your expectata viv looks great. I love how you did the ponds edge out of cork. Thanks for sharing the pics with us. And holy cow, your little expectata is extremely bright. Mine have a much darker blue on their legs, let me know if you get them too breed. See ya later,

ed