This week's froggy friend is..................... soft............
Every week we'll choose and highlight one frog to be the frog of the week! Doesn't that sound fun?
Episode Fifty: Turtle Frog | Week of April 25th
[LILLY BY BOQEH PLAYS THROUGHOUT]
KIM
Well, I’ll be! It's April 24th, 2022, I’m Kim, and the frog of the week is the Turtle Frog.
This frog, [MUSIC STOPS] um. [RUSTLING PAPERS] This is a frog? [KEYBOARD CLICKING] [PHONE RINGS]
AJ
[OVER THE PHONE] Hello?
KIM
Hey, it’s me- I was about to do the episode, I think-
AJ
[OVER THE PHONE] Oh yeah, the Turtle Frog, looking forward to it.
KIM
Have you seen it?
AJ
[OVER THE PHONE] What do you mean ‘have I seen it?’
KIM
Is it supposed to look like that?
AJ
[OVER THE PHONE] What? Yeah, of course it's supposed to.
KIM
Oh.
AJ
[OVER THE PHONE] Look, just record the episode.
KIM
Okay. Bye.
AJ
[OVER THE PHONE] Bye.
[RUSTLE OF PAPERS, MUSIC RESUMES]
KIM
This frog is found in semi-arid western Australia. It makes its home in the sandy soil and does not need to live near the water. [SIGH]
We here at Frog of the Week believe that all frogs are beautiful. And so the Turtle Frog is… striking. It is pink or brown in color and very… fleshy. It has beady black eyes, a very short snout, and astonishingly muscular front legs. These interesting features give the Turtle Frog a, um, threatening aura.
I highly recommend looking up a picture yourself, because it's truly beyond description. Please consider this your jumpscare warning.
I’ve seen more than one explanation for why this species is called the Turtle Frog. One said that it's because it looks like a turtle without a shell. But I think the more likely explanation is because of the way the frog digs its burrows.
Whereas most frogs dig with their hind legs and settle backwards into a burrow, the Turtle Frog uses its powerful front arms. It's not unlike a sea turtle digging its nest. Or, that guy at your local gym who always skips leg day.
In the spring, male Turtle Frogs will emerge from their burrows to call to potential mates.
[TURTLE FROG CALL PLAYS]
KIM
Once they couple up, the lovebirds will return to their burrow, where they will… cohabitate for up to four months before they mate. The eggs take two months to develop, and scientists believe that this long engagement is timed so that the eggs will hatch during the winter rains. But I like to think that it's also because the frogs want to spend some time getting to know each other and enjoying the honeymoon phase.
I like this frog because it's a good lesson for all of us that you should never judge a book by its cover. Who knew that underneath all that flesh lies the heart of a romantic?
And that’s the frog of the week. Thank you to Fenbug, Mari, and Eleanor Nelson for recommending the Turtle Frog. Our website is frogpod.online and our Twitter is @WeeklyFrogPod.
Thanks for joining us. See you next week.
[LILLY BY BOQEH FADES OUT]