Whistling Frogs in Barbados [5 Photos]
Went outside a couple mornings ago looking for something to capture... Lifted a couple of things and saw the whistling frogs scatter, and it hit me that we have quite a lot of whistling frogs on island that I could be photographing. I think I'll try to do this a bit more, instead of just lizards :)
The Lesser Antillean Whistling Frog (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei) is the most common frog within the Eastern Caribbean. It is also known as Johnstone’s Tree Frog, named after Robert Johnstone, the Chief Justice of Grenada who helped discover the first specimens. http://www.dcnanature.org/lesser-antillean-whistling-frog-2/
These are called whistling frogs because they... whistle. This sound is embedded into our psyche. When traveling it sometimes becomes difficult to sleep without this noise which is constant almost wherever you are in the island, but especially in the countryside.
Here are the shots:
to show the size of this particular little creature
Canon SL1, 100mm 2.8 Macro Lens, Macro Ring Light, 2.5x Magnification Filter
Thank you for the interesting article regarding the whistling Frogs. As a research scientist, I have found that many people do not realize how nature thrives and functions based on sound (frequencies). The health of a forest is directly related to the number and variety of frequencies produced in a 24 hour period. Insects, animals, water ways and humans all play a part in the over all health of a forest. A forest will become ill and can eventually die if sound producing species begin to reduce in numbers or end up missing in general. Indigenous Flora needs the sound of insects, animals, water ways etc to grow and ward of disease. If the natural habitat is disturbed too much and the orchestrated sounds are reduced, the Flora will show signs of distress with disease to follow. Studies have shown that daily interaction with humans and their plants can result in healthier Flora. Believe it or not, trees love it when children climb trees, build tree houses and laugh and play next to them. The energy exchange between playful/positive humans and healthy Flora are just now beginning to be understood by science. Yes, indeed, kind words, whistling or singing in the presence of Flora can go a long way.
Nice photos! Tiny, aren't they?
Some may have trouble sleeping without that sound, but still, I'm glad Dutch frogs don't whistle like that 8-).
I've heard of (wealthy) visitors complaining to their villa managers about the frogs and asking if they can make them stop. LOL
=D
I heard the same from people in a hotel in the South of France about the cicadas. Laughing fits all around!
Many years ago - MANY....I visited Freeport and I am pretty sure this is the tree frog that jumped on me....I screamed like a little girl. I don't recall the whistling though but as I said - MANY years ago and the fright probably trumps the noise.
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Love that second shot the most, the focus and the background makes a pleasing photo :)
These are awesome! Both the photos and the frogs!!!
Nice Pictures. Thanks for share. Follow and upvoted. Cheers