AmphibiCast

Have you ever dreamed of building a giant, naturalistic vivarium for your frogs? What does it take to construct, scape, plant and stock a 48 cubic foot vivarium (4ft by 2ft by 6ft)? In this  4 part series we will build a hypothetical large format vivarium from the ground up and address the challenges and rewards that go along with it!

In this episode (Part 1.) I am joined by Bill Rodman of In Situ Ecosystems and we discuss the creation of, and engineering  behind, his large format vivarium, the Orinoco Grande. We talk about how the tank is kept light weight through the use of special materials, how important lighting and ventilation is, and some of the different frog behaviors that are only seen in large format tanks. 

If you would like to purchase a tank from In Situ Ecosystems and get 10% off your purchase for being a listener. Click https://insituecosystems.com/?ref=amphibicast and make your purchase through this link.

For everything else visit https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

This week I am joined by Aaron Capouellez. Aaron is the founder of PA Woods and Forests and he specializes in studying amphibians and other organisms native to Pennsylvania. In this episode, we discuss specific Pennsylvania biomes, frog species native to the area, and how to best recreate these biomes in a captive setting. We also discuss the challenges of keeping native species, such as the American Toad and whether or not we can successfully incorporate carnivorous plants into a vivarium build. 

To learn more about Aaron's work and to support PA Woods and Forests visit: https://www.pawoodsandforests.com/

To Support the podcast by becoming a Patron, for AmphibiCast Merch, and for a 10% listener discount off of an In Situ Ecosystems vivarium visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

We've all been there at some point. We've worked hard to acquire a healthy frog, toad, or salamander, we've done our homework and set it up properly, but unfortunately it passes away. The experience can be difficult and frustrating to say the least.  However, if we want to improve our methods and grow as hobbyists, it's important that we learn as much as we can from the experience. 

There are many reasons why an an amphibian passes away while in our care. Although we may not always find a cause we still need to examine our methods. In this episode we run down a check list of questions we need to ask ourselves and we consider a number of possibilities that may have resulted in a loss. 

To support the show by becoming a Patron, for a 10% discount off In Situ Ecosystems vivariums, for AmphibiCast Merch and to support Panamanian Frog Conservation visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

Oophaga pumilio are well known for their vivid and variable coloration. But did you know that they have extremely sophisticated mating behaviors that select for certain colors?  In this week's episode I am joined by researcher, Yusan Yang and we discuss her work studying mate selection in wild oophaga pumilio. We talk about mating both male and female behaviors associated with color selection, and how pumilo tadpoles can actually imprint on their mothers. We also discuss one of Yusan's research projects that was featured in the Netflix documentary "Life in Color," narrated by David Attenborough. 

To support the show by becoming a Patron, for AmphibiCast Merch , for a 10% listener discount on an In Situ Ecosystems vivarium, and to support Panamanian Frog Conservation visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

To find out more about Yusan and her research visit: https://biology.wustl.edu/people/yusan-yang and be sure to check out her featured segment in Life in Color on Netflix https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/life-in-color-david-attenborough-behind-the-scenes/

This week I am joined by Dr. Alessandro Catenazzi. Alessandro is a conservation biologist who assesses amphibian populations for the IUCN red list, We discuss what the IUCN is, how species and populations are assessed, and what the future holds for endangered frogs.  We also talk about frog species native to the Peruvian cloud forest biome, and how many endangered species are actually on the rebound.


For AmphibiCast Merch, to support the show by becoming a Patron, and for a 10% listener discount on and In Situ Ecosystems vivarium visit:  https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

To find out more about Alessandro and his research visit https://www.catenazzilab.org/

People often make comparisons between reef tanks and planted vivariums due to their complexity and beauty.  They both require substantial care and effort, yet despite their many challenges, they ultimately reward the keeper with a perfect slice of the natural world.  This week I am joined by reef aquarist turned dart frog breeder,  Kyle Martin. Kyle and I discuss his transition from keeping reef aquariums to dart frogs and how he used his aquarist skill set to be successful with both.  We also discuss Kyle's unique methods of raising tadpoles communally, how to measure water quality, and maintaining successful dart frog community tanks. 

For AmphibiCast Merch, to support the show by becoming a Patron, and for a 10% discount off an In Situ Ecosystems Vivarium, click https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

To find out more about Kyle and to purchase quality captive bred dart frogs visit ncdartfrogs.com (don't forget to use the coupon code mentioned in the show!)

This week I am joined by Jack Small. Jack is one of the organizers of this year's American Frog Day and in this episode we discuss how the event started decades ago, how it grew over the years, what sets it apart from other expos,  and what we can expect this year. We also discuss how Jack keeps amd breeds his dendrobates truncatus, and we talk about how important the greater dart frog community is. 

American Frog Day is the biggest dart frog focused event in the US. If you are interested in attending and will be in the Chicago Area on September 24th 2022, visit: https://americanfrogday.com/ for tickets and info

For AmphibiCast Merch, to support the show by becoming a Patron, and for a 10% discount off of an In Situ Ecosystems Vivarium visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast 

Tonight I am joined by Dr. Kyle Summers. Dr. Summers has studied dendrobatids extensively since the 1980s and he has contributed immensely to the dart frog knowledge base. (Ranitomeya summersi is in fact named in his honor). In this episode we discuss different types of mimicry in Ranitomeya, differing degrees of toxicity between mimics, and monogamy in Ranitomeya imitator. We also discuss his dart frog blog and what happed after he handled a fully toxic wild Phyllobates vittatus. 

To support the podcast by becoming a Patron, for AmphibiCast Merch, to save 10% on In Situ Ecosytems vivariums, and to support Panamanian Frog Conservation visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

Be sure to check out Dr. Summers Blog at http://blog.ecu.edu/sites/summersk/my-life-with-the-poison-frogs-intro/

The Amazon Milk Frog (rachycephalus resinifictrix) is a popular species among amphibian hobbyists. In tonight's episode I review a paper on Amazon Milk Frog Husbandry  written by French Scientist Fabien Mignet and discuss some of the key husbandry points.

Tonight's podcast contains a reading of a scientific paper with all credit to the original author. Mignet, F. (2015). Biology and Captive Breeding of the Amazonian Milk Frog, Trachycephalus resinifictrix (Goeldi 1907). Reptiles & Amphibians, 22(2), 68–75.

To read Dr. Mignet's paper visit https://journals.ku.edu/reptilesandamphibians/article/view/14047

Hi everyone! I wanted to share some quick announcements about the show and some upcoming events!

1. Order Anura is hosting a Fundraiser in the Podcast's name to support Panamanian Frog conservation. Each 5 dollar entry gets you a chance to win a pair of dart frogs and some really cool plants! The fundraiser for Project Golden Frog is from August 11th through August 27th.  Follow and message @orderanura on instagram for more info or visit  orderanura.com
 To donate  and enter visit www.paypal.com/paypalme/ProjectGoldenFrog and DM Orderanura with confirmation for your chance to win 

2. My buddy Richard of the Exotic Pet Collective Podcast will be having comedian and exotic animal keeper Debra Wilson (of Mad TV)  on as his guest August 19th. Be sure to follow the Exotic Pet Collective and The Tarantula Collective on all platforms!

3. American Frog Day 2022 is just around the corner (9.24.22) visit www.americanfrogday.com for more info!