Dhe American bullfrog is the size of a fist, mostly tan-green, and no longer welcome to all Californians. “Adults have voracious appetites and will eat anything that fits in their mouths, including rats, bats, birds, turtles and snakes,” warns the Golden State Fish and Game Administration about the particularly powerful amphibian.
The state’s Fish & Game Commission has now found out more that the appetite of the bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) imported from the eastern United States does not stop at related, endangered species such as the California red-legged frog or the native mountain yellow-legged frog and also spreads diseases than 30 suggestions for containment – each provided with an assessment of possible protests by Californians.
Despite its danger to other species, some residents of the Pacific nation value the “bullfrog” as a delicacy, pet, or even competitor. In the Chinatowns of San Francisco and Los Angeles, vendors offer representatives of the species as an ingredient in Asian dishes.
Rosie the Ribeter jumped 6.5 meters
Even if you are looking for a fancy pet, you can order a tadpole online for a few dollars and watch its development. Also popular are competitions such as the Jumping Frog Festival, in which dozens of bullfrogs compete in the long jump event in Calaveras County, Northern California. Held for nearly 100 years to commemorate Mark Twain’s short story The Famous Leaping Frog of Calaveras, first published in 1865, the competition draws more than 40,000 visitors to the small town of Angels Camp each May. Almost 40 years ago, the bullfrog Rosie the Ribeter set a record that is still unbroken today with more than 6.5 meters.
“The competition is an important economic factor for a small community like ours,” organizer Laurie Giannini told Mercury News. She doubts that the festival’s bullfrogs will affect the population of the species in California. A ban on the competitions, which are also popular in other regions of the state, provided for in point 24 of the Fish & Game Commission’s strategy paper, met with resistance not only from Giannini.
With an estimated two million bullfrogs shipped to California each year, conservationists are debating import restrictions, bans on the sale of live bullfrogs, and the killing of bullfrogs in some regions. The frog amphibian is considered to spread the chytrid fungus, which causes a deadly infectious disease in amphibians. California’s neighboring states of Oregon and Washington have already banned the import of bullfrogs, and the city of Santa Cruz has been experimenting with restrictions for several years.
Unexpectedly, among the 30 or so population control proposals that have now been put forward is the idea of classifying bullfrogs in California as a so-called restricted species. The thought behind it? The fees for a “restricted species” in the state are so high that importing them is no longer worthwhile for many traders.
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