ATHABASCA - For some, the first sign of spring is the sighting of robins, or maybe the sound of Canada geese passing overhead, but for others, it is the first croak of a frog.
Biologist Dr. Danna Schock will be presenting ‘Amphibians in our Midst’ hosted by Science Outreach – Athabasca University online at 7 p.m. April 13, talking about how to identify local frogs, toads and salamanders.
“I'm hoping that somebody in the audience knows where there's some salamanders around here,” said Schock. “They should be here, but I haven't been able to find them.”
Schock has had a lifelong fascination with the critters for as long as she can remember, starting with raising tadpoles from eggs at three or four years old.
“I prefer wetlands to just about any other place on Earth,” she said. “You could just leave me wandering around in a wetland with the bugs and I’d be fine for hours.”
That early passion led to Schock getting her undergraduate degree from the University of Lethbridge, her Masters from the University of Regina, and her PhD at Arizona State University.
“People don’t understand how complicated amphibians are,” she said. “There’s an amphibian around here called a Wood frog ... and that little guy goes all the way from the Arctic Circle down to North Carolina, but not in a straight block, it follows the trees. It’s quite an amazing animal and it’s one of the ones that freezes solid.”
And while there are no amphibians native to Canada or Alberta, it is the ones who are the same that intrigue Schock.
“There are in fact species of amphibians that we have here in Alberta that are the same as down in Arizona and so you've got to think that those are pretty amazing creatures to be able to live in such very different climates,” said Schock.
The link to the presentation can be found on the Science Outreach website.
