It’s raining frogs at the U.
Toadally Frogs, the newest exhibit at the Utah Museum of Natural History, opens Saturday.
The exhibit, which is presented by the Audubon Nature Institute of New Orleans, has come for its second visit to the U. The first, in 2006, was so popular the UMFA decided to bring it back, said Scott Pettett, spokesman for the museum.
“It is unique and interesting,” Pettett said. “It really speaks to lots of people.”
The exhibit features 20 different live species of frogs including toads, red-eyed leaf frogs and poison dart frogs. The colorful amphibians come from various places, including Asia, Australia and Madagascar.
The exhibit, designed for children, features a whimsical, fairy-tale theme and includes a large frog prince asking for a kiss. Using interactive stations, the exhibit also allows visitors to learn more about the anatomy of frogs, what sounds each frog makes and how certain frogs protect themselves.
One frog on display, the poison dart frog, is a colorful frog found in Columbia whose poison was used by natives to make the tips of their arrows more deadly.
“One frog can have enough toxin to kill 35,000 people,” said Ian Hiler, director of touring exhibits for the Audubon Nature Institute.
Hiler and the frogs have been traveling across the United States to various museums for seven years.
“We want to show people the diversity of frogs, not just the ones found in their area, but from all over the world,” Hiler said.
His oldest frog, named Toadzilla, is a Rococo Toad native to Paraguay and the largest frog on display. The frog has been with him on the road for six years.
The museum is also offering other activities for children, including story time for preschool children and a theater performance by the characters Hipper and Hopper.
In celebration of Earth Day, the museum will have a special demonstration and lecture by U scientist Ben Chan and his research on frogs’ skin and frog parenting.
This is the last exhibit to be displayed in the Dumke Gallery in the museum until its move to the new building near the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, which is scheduled to open in 2011. Until the move, the room will be used to pack and store artifacts.
For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at www.umnh.utah.edu/frogs.
Thien SokThe Red Eyed Leaf frog is one of several types of frogs and toads in the Toadally Frogs exhibit, opening Saturday.