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Canku Ota |
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(Many Paths) |
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An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America |
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May 17, 2003 - Issue 87 |
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Story of the Rabbits |
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Myths and Legends of the Sioux McLaughlin, Marie L. (1916) |
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The Rabbit nation were very much depressed in spirits on account of being run over by all other nations. They, being very obedient to their chief, obeyed all his orders to the letter. One of his orders was, that upon the approach of any other nation that they should follow the example of their chief and run up among the rocks and down into their burrows, and not show themselves until the strangers had passed. This they always did. Even the chirp of a little cricket would send them all scampering to their dens. One day they held a great council, and after talking over everything for some time, finally left it to their medicine man to decide. The medicine man arose and said: "My friends, we are of no use on this earth. There isn't a nation on earth that fears us, and we are so timid that we cannot defend ourselves, so the best thing for us to do is to rid the earth of our nation, by all going over to the big lake and drowning ourselves." This they decided to do; so going to the lake they were about to jump in, when they heard a splashing in the water. Looking, they saw a lot of frogs jumping into the lake. "We will not drown ourselves," said the medicine man, "we have found a nation who are afraid of us. It is the frog nation." Had it not been for the frogs we would have had no rabbits, as the whole nation would have drowned themselves and the rabbit race would have been extinct. Print
and Color Your Own Frog Life Cycle Picture |
Green Frog/Bronze Frog (Rana clamitans) |
The name of the genus comes from the Latin rana (frog). The species name is the Latin word clamitans (loud-calling or noisy). Some people think that this frog's call sounds like a loud, loose banjo string or a rubber band snapping. There are two subspecies based
on color. The Green Frog is the green subspecies R. clamitans melanota.
Green frogs are green, greenish brown, brownish, yellowish green, and
olive, with some rare individuals being blue. The Bronze Frog is the bronze
subspecies R. clamitans clamitans. It has a bronze or brownish back and
may be quite plain, with no blotches. The belly of both subspecies is
white with dark spots or elongated blotches. Males usually have a bright yellow throat. Their tympanum ( visible external ear on the side of their heads) is large. The tympanum is much larger than the eye in males and is the same size as the eye in females. They have a well defined back ridge that extends from the back of the eye and continues the length of their body. Their toes are well webbed and their first fingers do not extend beyond their second fingers. The adults are 7.5 to 12.5 cm in length (3 to 5 inches). Other things to look for: The Green Frog is generally larger than the Bronze Frog. This frog is an opportunistic feeder and eats small frogs, worms, insects, and other small, unwary organisms. It frequents shallow waters and vegetation surrounding streams, ponds, marshes, springs, and swamps. This is a secretive frog, hiding in logs, rotting wood, and under debris during the day. It may be found in the same habitats as Bullfrogs, but it prefers smaller bodies of water. Fleet of foot and difficult to
spot, this frog is often noted only indirectly as it flees into the water,
sometimes uttering a squeaking alarm call. Adult males are most easily
approached during the breeding season when defending their territories. Habits: Green frogs emerge in April, but they do not breed until May through July. The males's call has been described as a "plunk" or "gunk" sounding like a banjo. It is a single note given once per second four or five times in a row. The first "plunk" is the loudest, then they trail off. Males defend territories from other males. This frog breeds from April through late summer. Fertilization is external. The female lays surface masses of up to 3,000 eggs in shallow water. Hatching occurs in one to two weeks. The larval stage is extended, and transformation from tadpoles to frogs does not occur for several months. Tadpoles are green with small black dots and sometimes have yellow bellies. They transform their second year. Green frogs spend their time at the water's edge waiting for prey. When startled, they give off a warning call similar to the "meap!" of bullfrogs before leaping into the water. Food: Green frogs will eat anything that they can swallow; mostly insects, earthworms, and even fish. |
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Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry. |
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