Jewel # 317 (April 18, 2018)

Golden Toad

Rhinoderrma darwini

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Frogs and Toads Beyond Number (Part 1)

“God made . . . everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind”  (Genesis 1:25).

Many people don’t like frogs or toads, but these creatures are beneficial because they eat tremendous amounts of insects that would otherwise be pests.  In remarkable varieties, millions of frogs and toads are in just about every warm part of the world.  Here are a few.

The golden toad lives in Costa Rica.  The entire body of the male is a bright golden orange, but the female has areas of mixed colours—most made of spots about the size of a penny.

Another unusual one is the red-eyed Mediterranean tree frog.  It lives in the swamps of Spain.  Its throat and lower mouth are white as snow, but sides are pale yellow with big spots of black.  Its underparts are bright green.  It can change colours to match its surroundings if danger is near.

A tiny one in Chile has the strange name of rhinoderma darwini.  Its back and legs are bright red, but it belly is dark green.  Instead of laying eggs in ponds, this one lays them on moist ground.  When they hatch and begin to develop, the male frog snatches them into his mouth.  He doesn’t eat them, but keeps them there until the frogs finally develop and hop out.

Poison dart frogs have  this name because their poisonous skin is used by some South American hunters on the points of their hunting darts.  This frog’s eggs are laid on damp ground.  When the young hatch, the mother carries them piggyback to a water-filled plant high in a tree.  She brings them food there until they are able to care for themselves.

Still another variety seems to eat the eggs it lays.  The female actually tucks them away in the back of her mouth where they grow into froglets.  Then she spits them out without harm.

In North America all frogs lay eggs in water and leave them entirely on their own.  But in some tropical places, certain species provide additional care for their eggs, as well as the tadpoles hatching from them.

In parts of Europe, an unusually long-legged brown frog, covered with black spots, rises on its long legs and puffs out its round body with a fierce look.  It does this to scare away snakes that come to attack it.

In our opening Bible verse, the truth of God’s way of creation is explained to us with the words “after his kind.”  This makes it plain that nothing would ever be able to change into something else.  All things—including humans were created just as we see them today.  Another Bible verse also plainly explains this:  "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is but one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds”  (1 Corinthians 15:39).  The Bible gives us the truth.

Love you all  - Grandpa