Yellow-bellied beauty

Not every human influence on nature is harmful. Stone walls, quarries, artificial waters and some others can be the habitat for many animals. Just like this abandoned clay pit in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Here you can find something that has unfortunately become much too rare in Germany: flat and fish-free ponds.

Rare amphibians such as the yellow-bellied toad depend on habitats like that.

The open, sunny areas are also the perfect place for reptiles.

When I visited this place for the first time, I was amazed by this view. Really nice landscape.

The big, blue pond is the eyecatcher for sure, but the small and warmer ponds are the right place to search for the Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata). They messure about 4 cm (1,57 inch) and are well camouflaged.

Fortunately, I found the first toads after a few minutes. It was a warm, sunny day and they were very active.

Some Pool Frogs (Pelophylax lessonae) enjoyed the sunshine as well. They got used to my presence and were not shy at all.

Apart from the coloration of the belly, Bombina variegata scores with additional characteristics. They are very appealing as they always seem to smile...

...and the heart-shaped pupil is a really cool feature too. You just have to love the yellow-bellied toad!

A pretty Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) was hunting in one of the ponds. 

I spent some hours in this habitat, most of the time lying on my belly to get this low angle and to almost drown my camera. 

Some Sand Lizards (Lacerta agilis), basking near the ponds, completed this nice day trip. 

Treasure hunt

I have planned to explore a new destination somewhere not to far away. I used the help of Google Earth. After searching in the vicinity of my home, I found something promising in the distance of approx. 1 hour.

The X marks the spot... so I drove there without any further information and I was not disappointed.

The habitat proved to be very beautiful and so I was able to start the search for critters. A pretty semiadult Common Toad (Bufo bufo) made the start. Followed by a young Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis).

At the end of the day trip I discovered gold: this magnificent Barred Grass Snake (Natrix helvetica). It was my first encounter with this species! 

Paraguay - Chaco

In April, I had the opportunity to go with my parents on a trip to Paraguay. It was not really a herping trip but of course we took some time to check out the paraguayan nature. The west of Paraguay (región occidental) is part of the Gran Chaco, a region characterized by dry forests and thorny bushes. The whole area is sparsely populated. Large areas of untouched wilderness are habitat for numerous animal species. Deforestation is a big problem though. Hopefully the people of Paraguay will be able to preserve this natural treasure!

The waters of the chaco are the kingdom of the Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare). As a small and medium-sized crocodilian, most adult males grow to roughly 2 or 2.5 m (6.6 or 8.2 ft) in length. Females are much smaller, at an average of 1.4 m (4.6 ft).

The Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) is a large stork found from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It is the tallest flying bird found in South America and Central America.

Disappointingly, I could not photograph a living snake in the Chaco. Two snakes crossed the road: A large Indigo Snake (Drymarchon corais) and some kind of racer... no chance to catch or take a picture - good that they could cross the road safely. Two dead snakes we found had less luck, another indigo snake and a Tropical Rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus)... very sad, but unfortunately the fate of many animals in the Chaco.

So without success with snakes, frogs had to save the day! And they did - we found some cool species. My favorite frog was the Orange-legged Monkey Frog, also called Earless Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa azurea).

The Warty Snouted Treefrog (Scinax acuminatus) is very well camouflaged. It looks like a piece of wood.

The smallest frog we found was this little Menwig Frog (Physalaemus albonotatus). Very cute little guy!

The Shovel-nosed Chamber Frog (Leptodactylus bufonius) has evolved an incredible adaptation for overcoming the challenges of living in mostly dry conditions. With their shovel-like noses, they dig a chamber in the mud and then top it with a mud cone. Because no water can penetrate these chambers, the frogs produce a foam nest from the female's albumin secretions to keep the tadpoles moist.

There is an interesting fact about the Paradoxical Frog (Pseudis paradoxa): Its name refers to the very large tadpoles, which are up to 25 cm (10 inch) long, and in turn becomes an ordinary-sized frog, only about a quarter of its former length.

In conclusion I want to show you another specimen of my favorite frog.

Indication of source:
www.faunaparaguay.com
www.frogsaregreen.org