Earlier this month, my mom took us to the Arlington Book Fair. There, I met Sheryl Brakey, a certified master scuba diver with over twenty years of underwater experience. She owns SJB productions, where she and her husband film their travels and experiences. I was and am honored to meet her, and fell in love with her DVD collection about animals.

Since I LOVE animals, I asked Sheryl to blog in exchange for the DVDs. She and her husband were delighted to allow me to do so. I was very proud of myself when she told me, “You will go far in life.”  

The first DVD I will be reviewing is “Exploring Frogs And Toads.”  I learned a lot and I am eager to learn more. The main thing I learned and would like to encourage you to do as well is to save the frogs!

WHY should you save the frogs?

• They eat pests (mice, flies, and mosquitoes.)
• The toxins and poisons on their skin are used as important medicine.
• They are also part of a large food chain. They are prey to owls, bobcats, jaguars, raccoons, snakes, lizards, and birds.
• Tadpoles keep waterways clean by feeding on algae.
• Frogs are bio indicators, which means that their skin absorbs pollutants (harmful substances). This helps scientists know if they live in a healthy environments.

Here are some sad but true facts about frogs:

• The whole earth used to be full of rain-forests (a frog’s home) and now only around 6% of rain-forest land is left.
•  One third of the world’s amphibians are threatened by loss of habitat and pesticides.
•  Pesticides are what is put on plants to be bug-proof. Sometimes it gets to plants by the river and gets in the water. It harms anything drinking the water.
•  Rain-forests and the animals + plants inside them are not valued, though much of what we have comes from them.
• Deforestation (cutting down trees) is the main reason frogs are endangered.

HOW can you save the frogs?

The good news is, you can help save the frogs! You can conserve water, recycle, reuse, and reduce, and use less tree-made things.

You may think it does not make much impact because the trees have already been cut, but it does. By buying the tree-made products, you are supporting them in wanting to cut down more trees to make more money off the product you bought.

The Main Facts And Parts Of Frogs:

Frogs and toads are cold-blooded. They are amphibians. In Greek, it means “living a double life.”  They produce mucus spread on themselves to keep moisture. Behind their eyes, the pieces of skin are “ears.”

To survive, they hibernate in winter, usually by burrowing underground. In Spring, it is mating season, usually around June. The males croak loudly to attract their mate. The mating can take days, or even months – this was weird! Groups of eggs are spawn.

I encourage you to save the frogs! They are magnificent creatures that give us much, so let’s not take them for granted.

For more information, click here.

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