5 minute read
Catskill Kids: Frogs!
By E. Merwin
From spring until they hunker down to hibernate, their croaks, twangs, trills and rib-bits serenade the Catskills. According to the Department of Conversation, there are 14 species of frogs that call upstate New York home. From the biggest bull frog with its deep bass boom box to the tiniest Spring Peeper, each species has its own unique song.
Although music to the ears of herpetologists* and every fan of frogs, plenty of folks complain that these intruders are keeping them up at night. But once again, we have to step back and be fair. For over two hundred years, we’ve been intruding on them—damaging and destroying the habitats that they’ve been helping to preserve since long before we arrived on the scene. After all, frogs and their ancestors are among our most ancient neighbors.
*Herpetologist= from the Greek word herepton, which means creeping animal, a scientist (trained or wannabe) who studies amphibians and reptiles
Who came first, the dinosaur or the frog?
Frogs have been hip hopping on earth for over 370 million years—that’s a whopping 140 million years before the first dinosaurs showed up in the Triassic Period. But the ancestry of both beasts, large and small, can be traced back to this charming explorer, Tiktaalik, the first fish to walk on land.
For tens of millions of years, the creature called Tiktaalic had been upping its game—doing push-ups on its front fins and pumping up the ones in the rear. But what was driving this evolutionary workout routine? According to *paleontologist, Neil Shubin, the ancient waters of the *Cambrian Period were teeming with predators—the most common danger for Tiktaalic was twice its size with “a head as big as a basketball.” Over time, creatures had to “get big, get armor, or get out of the water.” (Tattersall, 2010)
For the skeptical or plain curious, here’s a link with some “hard” evidence. Scroll down to watch “Fish with Feet?” In this short video, Dr. Shubin shows off the 375 million year old fossilized bones of Tiktaalik
Luckily for frogs and dinosaurs—well, for all creatures with four limbs, including us, Tiktaalic made that one small step onto land that was one giant leap for all tetrapods*.
*Cambrian= geologic period on Earth from 541 m.y.a. to 485.4 m.y.a when new life forms burst into existence
*paleontologist= scientist who studies fossils to understand life on earth
*tetrapod= all four-legged animals—including some that might surprise you like the whale and the snake whose ancestors long ago had limbs!
In the Beginning…
Although 375 million years is nothing to croak at, according to *Haudenosaunee belief, this ancient inhabitant of the earth had its four-fingered hand in creation. Before the earth existed, there was only an island floating in the sky where the Sky People lived. At its center was a sacred tree. When this tree was uprooted, it created a hole and through that hole fell the Sky Woman. As she descended toward the tumbling waters below, animals came to her rescue. Seabirds spread their wings to catch her as the animals below held a council on the back of a great turtle. “It was decided to prepare the earth on which she would live in future.” (First People of America, n.d.).
Determined to help the beautiful Sky Woman, several devoted creatures dove into the water to get mud from the bottom of the primal sea. One after another the animals tried and failed. Some say it was Muskrat and others Little Toad who succeeded in bringing back the mud that the animals spread on the back of Big Turtle, creating a home for Sky Woman. “In some traditions, Sky Woman turned into the moon… and in still others, it was Sky Woman herself who created the sun, moon and stars.” (The Woman Who Fell From the Sky - a Seneca Legend., n.d.)
*Haudenosaunee= the confederacy of 6 tribes whose ancestral lands spread from Canada to current New York state, including the Catskills, who still preserve the world’s oldest democracy founded on a deep reverence for earth and all its creatures.
Frog and Toad
“One day in summer Frog was not feeling well. Toad said, ‘Frog, you are looking quite green.’ ‘But I always look green,’ said Frog.
‘I am a frog.’
Always restless, frogs (and toads!) have often leapt into the human imagination, including that of one popular author raised just beyond the Catskills in Schenectady, New York. Often bullied and alone, Arnold Lobel, escaped into his notebooks, drawing animals and dreaming up stories to entertain himself and win over other kids. When not conjuring up his own creations, Arnold spent his time in the local library where he particularly enjoyed picture books that to him revealed “everything that is good about feeling well and having positive thoughts about being alive.” (Arnold Lobel, 2016)
From his beginning as an author in the second grade, Arnold Lobel went on to create Frog and Toad Are Friends, a series of four beloved books that tell the simple tales of two amphibians who still delight kids today as they begin to explore their own creative power as readers.
References
Arnold Lobel. (2016, April 30). Biography of Arnold Lobel. https://arnoldlobel.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/biography-of-arnold-lobel-2/ First People of America; Native Americans. (n.d.). https://www.firstpeople.us/ Frogs and Toads of New York State Conservationist Center. (n.d.). www.dce.ny.gov. Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/administration_pdf/frogs.pdf.
Kim, M. (2023, May 17). Fossil reveals transitional link from fins to feet. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ health-science/fossil-reveals-transitional-link-from-fins-to-feet/2014/01/13/b02100c6-7a3a-11e3-8963-b4b654bcc9b2_story.html
Tattersall, I. (2010). Paleontology: A Brief History of Life. Templeton Foundation Press.
The Woman who Fell from the Sky - A Seneca Legend. (n.d.). https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheWomanWhoFellFromtheSky-Seneca.html
E. Merwin is an award-winning author of fantasy, fables and verifiable ghost stories—with Northman’s Daughter winning the Next Generation Book Award, 1st prize for regional fiction. As of 2023, Nightmarish New York is her most recent of ten spooky titles written for Bearport Publishing and its popular series for young readers. Visit: www.emerwin.com
