Poison dart frogs from South America, softball-sized toads and even a few Utah amphibians are among the 20 species of frogs featured at the new Utah Museum of Natural History exhibit, “Toadally Frogs.”
Tim Lee, exhibit designer at the museum, said “Toadally Frogs” differs from traditional “animals on sticks” exhibits typically found at museums.
“Live animals usually aren’t associated with a natural history museum,” Lee said.
The exhibit houses a frog-call identification center and a display on the various types of frog feet, but what will likely draw the most attention is the small, but deadly, poison dart frog.
Of all of the amphibians on display, the poisonous dart frog is the most lethal and one of the smallest. The dart frog is the most toxic land vertebrate in the world and can secrete enough poison from its skin to kill eight human adults.
Aside from its hopping attractions, the exhibit also carries a message of conservation to its visitors.
Ben Chan, a doctoral student in biology, said frogs are facing numerous problems, nearly all of them thanks to humans. Information about conservation efforts is available at the museum.
“Our grandkids may not be able to see an exhibit of this type if we don’t get our act together,” Chan said.
Factors contributing to the decline in frog populations include habitat destruction and transformation, thinning ozone and the pet trading industry. Chan said that while conservation groups are important, many are simply “a last-ditch effort” to preserve a disappearing species rather than trying to prevent damage from happening in the first place.
Amphibian expert Stan Mays will speak at the museum tomorrow about the impact declining frog populations could have on humans. The lecture starts at 6:30 p.m.
The exhibit will also explore the social impact of frogs on society. Popular culture has embraced frog-based characters for decades, from Kermit the frog to the X-men character Toad.
“There’s a kind of fairy-tale aspect to frogs,” said Rachel Zurer, gallery programs coordinator at the museum.
By focusing only on a single animal, the museum hopes to give the public more information about frogs than that which would typically be had at a zoo.
The exhibit will continue until Sept. 3.
A Terrible Dart Frog stares itself down in the glass of its case in “Toadally Frogs,” the new live frog exhibit at the Museum of Natural History on Tuesday. The species is the most poisonous known land vertebrate. Under normal dietary conditions, it could produce enough toxins to kill eight adult humans.