So Much More Than Ribbit: Frog Calls of Maryland

The vocal range of frogs is quite remarkable. Some chirp. Others can whistle, croak, ribbit, peep, cluck, bark and grunt.

Jessica Nelson, the Assistant Curator in the Australia: Wild Extremes and Upland Tropical Rainforest exhibits at the National Aquarium, will cover general amphibian biology and then jump into how and why frogs call, the different types of calls, and talk about all of the species that people in the greater Baltimore area are likely to hear. For those interested in taking their frog-call training to the next level, this 2-hour session can serve as the first step towards becoming a certified FrogWatch volunteer with the Greater Baltimore Chapter of FrogWatch USA. People who are interested in starting formal training for FrogWatch can email me at gbfrogwatch@aqua.org. More information about FrogWatch can be found at www.aza.org/frogwatch.

Jessica Nelson has been working at the National Aquarium since 2005 and was a Senior Herpetologist in the Upland Tropical Rainforest Exhibit for 10 years before moving into a curatorial position for both the Upland Tropical Rainforest and Australia: Wild Extremes Exhibits. She also has a background in entomological field research and obtained her Master’s degree from the University of Maryland in 2008. Jessica is a coordinator for the Greater Baltimore FrogWatch Chapter and is actively looking for new volunteers for this long-running citizen science project.