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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| France invaded by frogs |
| 2005-08-22 |
| A campaign in France to exterminate frogs may sound like the beginning of a civil war, They said it; I didn't. but these are no ordinary frogs. Hunters working for the government's wildlife agency will be stalking ponds in south-west France this weekend, aimed with flash-lights, rifles, silencers They have been mobilised for the most intensive effort so far to terminate a plague of giant Californian bullfrogs which is threatening to disrupt the ecology of the Gironde, Dordogne and several other départements. Ze American imperialists again. The aggressive and voracious bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), introduced illegally 37 years ago, can grow to more than 4lbs in weight and almost 2ft long. Well, in the US, illegal invaders get ranches handed to the them. It consumes other frogs, fish, lizards and even small birds. I tawt I taw a fwog! Destroying the frogs is not easy, however. The Gironde fisheries protection association attacked a pond full of bullfrogs with electricity a few years ago. The frogs fought back. Fought back? What did they do, bomb the power plant? The hunters battled with them for two hours. They killed just one frog before they gave up. "Shooting them with rifles is the most effective method we have found," said an environmental campaigner, Luc Gueugneau. It would probably work on Jihadis, too. |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #16 A country full of weasels should be able to quickly eradicate this problem. I'm surprised there wasn't a preemptive strike on the frogs. Not! |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2005-08-22 22:37 |
| #15 "The hunters battled for two hours and killed one frog." That about says it. |
| Posted by: Snasing Jating7777 2005-08-22 20:56 |
| #14 I guess they mean this baby... |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-08-22 15:34 |
| #13 I guess they mean |
| Posted by: BH 2005-08-22 14:55 |
| #10 France surrenders to frog movement leader in 5...4...3...2... |
| Posted by: Mark E. 2005-08-22 14:33 |
| #9 I'll give them a couple neutered racoons with gps implants and head mounted combat cams for lease. Only a couple thousand down per unit. |
| Posted by: MunkarKat 2005-08-22 14:20 |
| #8 4 pounds? Two feet long? Not any California frog I ever heard of, they top out at about 6 inces. These guys sure they haven't got the Amazonian Giant Bullfrog? |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-08-22 13:47 |
| #7 "tranq an reelokate" Heh. "I see one, Bob, hand me your tranq gun" "Hokay, here" *piff* *splat* "Damn, not much left to relocate, let's try getting another one..." |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2005-08-22 13:46 |
| #6 //comment from PETA please. Posted by: MACOFROMOC 2005-08-22 13:05 // tranq an reelokate. may costa litter more but theenk of teh lifen be saved |
| Posted by: muck4doo 2005-08-22 13:12 |
| #5 France demands frogs out of France! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-08-22 13:11 |
| #4 shoot'n smelly slimy creatures in France eh. be careful to make sure it's not the women...If you see hairy armpits hold yer fire. comment from PETA please. |
| Posted by: MACOFROMOC 2005-08-22 13:05 |
| #3 The effective solution would be to institute a program where you fly over a few thousand teenage American males for the summer. I dunno. Last time that was done, the Americans cleared out the Nazis. The French have never forgiven us for that. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-08-22 12:58 |
| #2 The effective solution would be to institute a program where you fly over a few thousand teenage American males for the summer. That'll clear out the ponds of bullfrogs in a hurry. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2005-08-22 12:47 |
| #1 Just imagine the frog's legs a gourmet could get from one! Seriosly, when I was about 9 or 10 I saw a bullfrog eat a water moccasin. Danged BIG bullfrog. They will eat almost anything they can catch. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-08-22 12:44 |
![](http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/imgs/128x192/1111_1111/1111/0376.jpeg>this baby</a>...</td></tr>
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Posted by: mojo
2005-08-22 15:34
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<tr><td valign=top class=cmnt>#12 REMARKS Not indigenous to Western U.S. May be responsible for decline of native aurans.<br />
DESCRIPTION: The Bull Frog is the largest frog in North America. It can reach over 6 inches in length. Some of the diagnostic characteristics include the absence of dorsolateral ridges and the presence of a large and conspicuous tympanic membrane (ear drum). Short folds of skin extend from over the eye to behind the tympanic membrane, which will be larger than the eye in males and about the same size as the eye in females. The hind feet are completely webbed except for the last joint of the largest toe. The dorsal surface is usually void of any markings but may have spots or dark mottling. It can range in color from dark olive to pale green. The ventral surface is usually a light cream to yellow color with dark marbling sometimes present. Bull Frog tadpoles have a light ventral surface and the dorsal surface is greenish to yellow with numerous black spots. Bull Frog larvae winter in the tadpole stage.<br />
LIFE HISTORY: The Bull Frog is not native to the Western U.S. but was introduced into several localities in the West where it has been implicated in native anuran declines. In Region 4, the Bull Frog has became established in various locations in Utah, Nevada and Idaho. This frog is highly aquatic, and never strays far from permanent water, whether it be marsh, pond, lake, or reservoir. It sometimes frequents temporary water bodies long distances from permanent water. It prefers water with thick aquatic vegetation such as cattails and can even tolerate brackish water. The Bull Frog is not dependent on rainfall for breeding. It is nocturnal but calling commonly occurs during the day as well. The Bull Frog winters at the bottom of water bodies.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acerider/36280556/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://photos27.flickr.com/36280556_09868e2f86_m.jpg" alt="bullfrog" /></a><br />
Rana catesbeiana<br />
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Posted by: Deacon Blues
2005-08-22 15:07
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<tr><td valign=top class=cmnt>#11 It){kind=link}