Meet The Frog

LoBo Jr.!

What? LoBo Jr., a green tree frog?

That's right. You didn't mis-read.

Actually, it was David, my high school classmate whom I grew up playing soccer with, who suggested the name on a Facebook posting. And then another friend claimed that the name did infringe her son's and asked for loyalty fee, or else she threatened to sue. She was only kidding of course.

In fact, lawsuits are quite trendy in the U.S. these days. You sue me, I sue him, and the next thing you know, he sues you, like a love triangle.

So, what I concern more is to avoid being sued by the band Los Lobos. No sweat, I've added Jr. after Lobo just in case... Oh, he has a Chinese name too, 小綠寶, (Little Green Precious from word to word translation) how about that, huh? To make things easier, let's just call him LBJ (don't be mistaken, it's not that U.S. vice president in mid 60s).

LBJ is not much different from his cousin Shrek, a northern leopard frog that I released back to a conservation area last summer, except it's a shorter guy that max out at 2 inches long from nose to... ah, its ass. And it has bigger toes with suctions that stick on anything it jumps onto. Yep, just like Spiderman, no kidding. Shrek, like the Ogre, could be twice or even more the size of LBJ and more of a swimmer and long jumper. (You can go back a few postings to see his photos and videos)

What is more profound about LBJ is that he could camouflage itself very well in its surroundings, just try to find it in the picture.

Nevertheless, if you happen to have a tree frog and you hear something is quacking loudly inside your house in the middle of the night, stay calm, no duck is on the loose. It's just your tree frog croaking "quack, quack, quack" like a duck... now go back to your bed and dream about eating a roast duck.

Another newcomer

It's been more than a year since Shrek was released back to nature, hope he's doing ok.

I've been wondering for a while why there isn't any leopard frog setting up summer camp in my pond this year. But guess what? There is...

I was sipping my coffee in the breezeway, enjoying the cool breeze and the soft morning sun, but something caught my attention... something was moving along the bottom of the backyard door. Oh my, it's a tiny frog, about one and a half inch long. It was quite clumsy while jumping. Thanks for the dusty and dirty carpet, that hasn't been cleaned since, oh well, a month ago... that got stuck on its limps.

Don't ask me why I'm attracted to frogs... actually not just frogs, but all kinds of little critters. It's something that I grew up with, I guess. And I'm still wondering why I didn't become an entomologist if I like it so much...

Anyway, going back to the frog. It's not a leopard frog, nor a toad. It's a tree frog with tremendous jumping capability. It's even better than the leopard frog. Why? His padded hands have suctions to stick on walls and glass. Cool huh!

More later... meanwhile check out his look.

Oh his name? I'll tell you next time.

FAREWELL

"Free the Frog! Free the Frog!! Amphibians around the world unite!!!!!" Dee, my co-worker, made this petition to let Shrek go free in an e-mail. "How dare you? Dee!" Just kidding...

Actually I really do think this is time. Tomorrow will be a good day to do so because the forecast said it'll be a rainy day, an amphibian day.

Funny thing is I didn't make much connection with fish in my two aquariums, but somehow letting Shrek go seems to trigger some uneasiness. I guess we call this attachment. Eight months is long enough to create a bonding. Or perhaps it's the fact that I'll be going to Hong Kong with my kids for three weeks next Tuesday, YEEEEEEEHA, so I can certainly relate how Shrek feels about being with its species, should I say "the other frog is calling!"

Before we go, Shrek wants to show off his worm-eating skill. Enjoy! And by the way, I think Shrek is actually a female because he didn't do any callings at all.

Ahem... remember Andy William? "B-O-R-N F-R-E-E, AS FREE AS THE WIND BLOWS...."

FREEDOMMMMMM!!!

What would you do if your kids decided to run away because your house is too small? Not once, not twice, but three times. Three times! Would you buy a bigger house, or you simply let them go.

In my case, I think of the latter. Of course I'm not talking about my kids. I'm talking about Shrek, my froggie. He escaped from the aquarium three times in the last four days, hiding in the toilet corner, under the entertainment center, and on top of the aquarium. You may wonder how he pulled it off. Simple. First, he is no longer a small froggie. Second, as the previous video shows, he jumps up like a launching rocket. Third, I keep the filtration and heater's openings open and I didn't know he is so determined to go. Sounds like the movie "Finding Nemo," isn't it?

In fact, his escape coincides with my recent thinking if it's time to let him go back to where he was. After all, my duty to keep him alive has already achieved, so keep him captivated in an aquarium seems to serve more of my own interest than his purpose of existence. Not to mention he has outgrown my aquarium. If that is the case, how can I justify to keep fishy friends in my aquarium then.

So what would you do if you were me?

Shrek, a launching rocket!

My body got so excited when Spring comes, that's why my blog is like missing in action. Hey, don't blame me, I have a life to live other than taking video of Shrek! After all, who can resist the warmth of the sun, the smell of the greens and the touch of the light breeze of Spring after three months of hibernation? Anyway, it's been quite some time since the last post, but you know, a good video takes time to make. Shrek is in action of course, but this time I see him like a rocket launching.

Watch:

A small "JAW"

Over the weekend, I had Chris Beck, a close friend, working together on editing the slow motion of the previous movie clip. May, Chris's wife and a co-worker of mine, was shaking her head, saying "oh, you boys..." as she looked at us cheerfully celebrating our not-so-profound success in the editing, at least by professional standards. She is right, boys will always be boys. No offense, May!

You know what? After editing the sound effect in, the clip is no longer just a frog feeding on a cricket like the previous one. It's almost like watching the great white shark chowing down a seal in "JAW", or the tyrannosaurus swallowing the lamb in "JURASSIC PARK." Even I myself feel the chill of the violence in the name of "the strongest survives."

Speaking of that, it does exist in our world in different aspects. Gun shots here, civil wars there. How about Wall Street bankers gaming on our financial system while corporations and crooks violating business ethics for their fat pockets. Or the rich keep getting richer while the poor struggle in putting food on the table.

We're almost like the crickets trying to get fed while avoiding being eaten alive. Having said that, our prospects are much brighter than the crickets because we are not confined by where we are in our own food chain. One day, we may be at the bottom, who knows on another day, we may rise up to another level if not straight up to the top. Or vice versa as we have witnessed those falling down hard in the last 12 months.



Chris, thank you for your help.

Video credit: me

A dream

Picture this: a bald eagle is descending in high speed right above a lake, then extending its claws to grab a fish right out of the water. And in seconds, it flies away without a trace. It's so breathtaking.

Or a slow motion movie clip of a lion's deadly hunt in safari, which turns out to be an incredible escape being pulled off by the prey itself, will never fail us. One way or the other, we have that "WOW" moment.

As you know, I'm no film director, but I like taking NOT low budget, but NO BUDGET movie shots of my leopard frog with my crappy point and shoot camera, dreaming one day I could be one of those National Geographic photographic journalists shooting footage of an elusive wolf pack hunting caribous in Alaska or part of the BBC natural history camera crew shooting documentary of two snow leopards going after mountain goats in Pakistan shown in the "Planet Earth" series.

I know, I know, it takes a lot skill and hard work to put a collection like that together. And I admit I wouldn't have that kind of patience and talent to pull it off, but still, it doesn't deter me from creating my own version of a "controlled" documentary of my leopard frog.

Beware, this clip is not "G" rated, but it's nowhere near X's though. Watch:




If you like this one, you surely would like the slow motion version that will be posted in a couple of days, stay tuned.