The Extremely Endangered Mississippi Gopher Frog

Image via WikipediaBy Matthew Jorn

The Mississippi Gopher Frog or Dusky Gopher Frog is a very rare species of amphibian. Its natural habitat is temperate and made up of coastal forests and intermittent freshwater marshes in the Southern United States. This elusive frog is around three inches long with dark brown or black spots and covered in warts.

The Mississippi Gopher Frog was once found all along the Gulf coastal plain in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Although, it has not been seen in Alabama since 1922, or Louisiana since 1967. Today, the entire population of the species is found in one pond, in one town, in one county, Glen's Pond in Harrison County Mississippi is where the last 100 Mississippi Gopher Frogs in the wild live.

It is mid-sized, stocky, and about three inches long. The frog's back can be black, brown, or gray and covered in dark spots and warts. When put in bright light or threatened the frog puts its hands over its eyes for protection. It can also inflate its body while secreting a milky fluid from the wart glands in its back. This creature lives from six to ten years and dines on frogs, toads, insects, spiders, and worms. Males will reach sexual maturity at four to six months and females at two to three years. Emerging vegetation plays host to the fist-size egg masses that are made up of over 2,000 eggs. The eggs become tadpoles which are about an inch long and need 80 to 180 days to complete their metamorphosis.

This creature's habitat is both upland, sandy areas covered by open longleaf pine forest and isolated, wetland breeding areas. They're known to use both abandoned and occupied gopher tortoise burrows, hollowed-out stumps, and root holes for housing. Their breeding grounds are very isolated grassy ponds that dry up each year which prevents fish sharing the ponds that would endanger tadpole survival. The ponds must be filled aptly to ensure full development of juvenile frogs. This relies strictly on the amount and timing of the rainfall, male frogs know instinctively by heavy rainfall during Winter and Spring to move to breeding grounds.

This creature was listed as endangered in 1992 by the State of Mississippi, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2001. Because of the natural threat of predators, including birds, mammals, and reptiles plus, added human interference, the Mississippi Gopher Frog is regarded as the rarest amphibian in North America. The Gopher Frog Recovery Team oversees conservation strategies which include: pond water supplementation in dry years, habitat management, assisting tadpole survivability, captive rearing, construction of alternative-breeding ponds, and treating infected tadpoles. Continuing efforts will extend and hopefully bring back the population of Mississippi Gopher Frogs before it's too late.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has began work with the U.S. Forest Service to protect the last remaining Mississippi Gopher Frogs through readying several ponds for breeding use. Egg masses are currently being introduced at several sites and will shortly determine if juvenile frogs can survive there. All known breeding sites have been protected and zoos in New Orleans, Memphis, Detroit, and Omaha have 75 Mississippi Gopher Frogs in captivity continuing ongoing artificial breeding programs. With ongoing efforts from the federal, state, and local governments the Mississippi Gopher Frog has a chance at survival. Thanks to hundreds of volunteers and thousands of supporters Mississippi will keep its amphibious mascot.

This article was written by Matthew Jorn is part of a series of entries highlighting the cultural, natural, and sociological virtues of Coastal Mississippi. Shopping for a Ford Focus Biloxi shoppers know they can trust Mr. Ford Biloxi Ford Dealers.

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