The other day Susan and I ventured into New York City to see the traveling exhibit Frogs: A Chorus of Colors again at the American Museum of Natural History because we enjoyed it so much the first time we saw it. The exhibit features over 200 live frogs in re-created natural habitats, complete with rock ledges, live plants, and waterfalls.
If you live near NYC or need an excuse to visit the Big Apple, we highly recommend this exhibit, which runs until January 8, 2012. Most of the exhibits are at eye level for even the youngest kids, who had fun trying to spot the well-camouflaged frogs. They can also push buttons to hear frog calls, view videos of frogs in action, and even dissect a frog virtually with a program called Froguts. (Teachers take note: the kids were fascinated by this and several tried their hand at it.)
Here are a few things you will learn:
- The Cuban tree frog is probably the smallest frog at only 1/2 inch in length
- The cane toad lays 35,000 eggs in a single string
- The Australian water-holding frog digs in desert soils and can remain underground for years
- The world’s biggest frog is the West African goliath at 15 inches and weighing 7 lbs, as much as a newborn infant.
The stars of the exhibit were the dart poison frogs. Their jewel-like colors warn predators not to eat them. One type of poison dart frog can kill 20,000 mice or 10 people with its poison, which is excreted through the skin. As the label on this exhibit says, “Don’t kiss these frogs!” The baby dart poison frogs, hiding in the palm leaves, were pretty cute. They were about the size of a fingernail.
Susan took some videos of the frogs in the exhibit:
Note: This is a partial repost of our original visit in 2009
