00:00In an old fountain in Batangas, there are a lot of frogs, but what if they are the one who will come to you?
00:20Oh my God!
00:22So many!
00:25All these frogs, it's like a plague.
00:30FROGS IN BATANGAS
00:39We have seen more than 50 frogs here.
00:44Some are gathering in a corner.
00:48Some are swimming.
00:50They are enjoying the water.
00:55There are frogs.
00:56There are also some who want to be alone.
01:05The fountain is part of a subdivision, but it was not inhabited since 2022 due to the pandemic.
01:15Frogs are the residents here.
01:19Even though their children are with them.
01:23According to Kagawad Mar, the frogs go to the fountain because of the insects they eat.
01:30When we saw that there were so many, we wondered where they went.
01:36They climb the stairs at night because they want to get food like insects.
01:45They did not disappear when the water was low because of the rain.
01:49During the day, when it's hot, there are really frogs stuck there.
01:55Sir, whenever it rains, there are frogs stuck there.
02:02Once they get in there, it's like a death trap.
02:08Let's see if there are really a lot.
02:12It smells a bit.
02:14There are a lot of them.
02:15There are a lot of them.
02:17They are in a row here.
02:20Because of the water, they multiply here.
02:24Let's see if their mini-mate is still alive.
02:28It might be necrophilia later.
02:32It looks like it's spitting the dead one.
02:37There it is.
02:40Its mini-mate.
02:42It's dead.
02:46Oh my God!
02:48There are a lot.
02:51All these frogs.
02:53It's like a plague.
02:55In the Bible, there are a lot of frogs.
02:58There are a lot of them.
03:01There is a saying that if you touch a frog like this,
03:07you will get a headache if you are bitten by it.
03:13Well, that's not true.
03:16These white balls are eggs of frogs.
03:20These are their eggs.
03:23Let's see if there are any eggs here.
03:33This is the evidence that they are just rotting here.
03:37This is called femur.
03:40They can lay 30,000 eggs twice a year.
03:46When it rains, when the eggs hatch,
03:51those frog tadpoles will slowly go into the pond
03:58or any body of water that has no current.
04:02Cane toads are an invasive species.
04:05That's why they are not welcome here.
04:07They are native to Central and South America.
04:12They secrete poison from their parotid glands as their defense.
04:17If I step on it, it will spit something.
04:22There are a lot.
04:24That's the defense of these frogs.
04:26That's why they grow up so fast.
04:27There are a lot.
04:31Fortunately, the cane toads are just inside this fountain.
04:38As the rain starts, the frogs start making noise in the field.
04:46We are here in the field where there are a lot of frog species.
04:51We are with MJ.
04:52MJ and MJ are catching frogs to eat.
04:57It's an additional source of protein.
04:59What you can see here is the naked frog.
05:04It's called tutit.
05:06And the bullfrog.
05:08Bullfrog.
05:10The bullfrog is introduced.
05:13The bullfrog is bigger and has more meat.
05:18Our team's target is to see the endemic frogs.
05:23But first, we saw the invasive cane toads.
05:30Just so you know, even here in Mindoro, they have already arrived.
05:35They are already eating our native frogs.
05:41It's hard for us to find them now because when the moon is bright, they are scattered.
05:47And when the sun is about to set, they are quiet.
05:51Which is our only clue.
05:54What is that?
05:57Someone is catching it.
05:59Oh, it's inside this.
06:04They look different.
06:06These are not the regular toads that I see.
06:10Can you see the bullfrog? It's hitting the toad.
06:14They are now hybrid.
06:15I'll catch one.
06:17Then let's see what these toads look like.
06:21Let's call them.
06:27I'll catch you.
06:29It's slippery.
06:31That's why a lot of people are afraid of toads because they are very slimy.
06:37They use that slime to escape from their prey.
06:41And in another bag, there are the bullfrogs.
06:45Look at that.
06:47They look like they are camouflaged.
06:50Some of them are greenish.
06:52Some of them are brownish.
06:55I'll catch one here.
06:57These two species of frogs can be seen here in this field.
07:02And we will compare these two toads.
07:06Later.
07:08Someone else joined us.
07:10Let's see what they will do.
07:13Toads are usually found in land.
07:18But they can also be amphibious.
07:21They can be in water.
07:23But you can see that their skin is more rough compared to frogs.
07:34Their skin is smoother and leatherier.
07:39Based on my observation of native frogs,
07:43it looks like a hybrid of different species of frogs.
07:48According to the expert, this is possible.
07:53Based on a lot of studies done by biologists,
07:58especially by invertebrate biologists,
07:59the species of frogs that can be seen here are a combination,
08:06a mixture of both native and alien species.
08:14Native wildlife can be extinct if there are a lot of invasive species.
08:20This is a global observation.
08:23It's a global threat.
08:24This is a big threat not only to the species,
08:30but also to the habitat and ecosystem,
08:34and also to our economy.
08:37This also has a big impact on the people.
08:39Thank you for watching Born to be Wild.
08:42For more stories about our nature,
08:46please subscribe to the JMA Public Affairs YouTube channel.
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