The air fills with high-pitched chirps. But it’s not birds calling. It’s frogs! They are so noisy it sounds as if there could be hundreds of them. These frogs are why the team has climbed nearly eight hours to visit this cloud forest, a mountainous area where clouds hang low among the trees.
The scientists have come to study miniature frogs—some no bigger than a jellybean! These frogs need cool temperatures and moisture to live, so a damp cloud forest is the perfect place for them. Twenty-one kinds of cloud forest frogs have been discovered during other trips. Now the professor and his team hope to find even more.
The team walks toward the sound, but the amphibians go quiet and hide as soon as they feel footsteps coming near. To frogs, something moving on the forest floor might be a hungry snake. They can stay quiet and out of sight for up to an hour. Even if the professor and his team can’t see the frogs, they know where the amphibians are likely to be. Cloud forest frogs spend their day in the leaf litter, the fallen leaves that pile up on the forest floor. There they find bugs to eat, and their skin soaks up moisture from the wet leaves.
Now they burrow deeper into the leaves to hide. The scientists get down on their hands and knees and lift the muddy leaves one by one. Sometimes they can’t find a single frog, no matter how many leaves they check. Being a scientist can be frustrating!
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SNOT-COPTER: Drone at Work
THE BOAT IS on the move. It speeds over icy waters toward a humpback whale.
Fruity Valentine Nachos
Strawberries are red; Blueberries are blue. Valentine nachos Say, “I love you!”
Soured on Pickles
IT STUCK TO the bar of soap in the bathtub, so you didn’t want to wash with it.
Kitty Cleanup
HAVE YOU EVER wondered how your cat does such a good job of cleaning herself using just her tongue? Try this activity and find out!
Odor-able Valentine
SPRAY HOW YOU feel this Valentine’s Day by sharing this silly card with your friend or family!
The Stolen Smell
A Peruvian Folktale
Ophelia's Last Word - Blowhole Your Nose
Not feeling whale? Stop your blubbering, and turn your tissue box into the biggest thing on land or sea!
The War of the Noses
It could have happened anyplace: Two noses met up face to face.
Doodlebug & Dandelion
Very Skunky Valentine
The Sacrifice of the Rainbow Bird
A Tale from the Lenni Lenape
Bem-vindo!
The stretch of Monroe Road where you can find little pieces of Brazil
Nervosa
HOW BRAZILIAN GUITARIST PRIKA AMARAL REBUILT HER THRIVING THRASH-METAL JUGGERNAUT FROM THE GROUND UP AND JUMPED HEAD FIRST INTO PERPETUAL CHAOS
Are There Benefits to Going Nuts with Your Diet?
As long as you aren’t allergic or don’t binge on them, these nutrient-packed morsels are some of the best foods you can eat.
Suly Bornstein Wolff
BETWEEN TRADITION AND THE FUTURE
Turning to the “Other” Tourmaline Crystals
COMPLEX, PLENTIFUL, AND AFFORDABLE
VOTING DAY around the World
When it comes to elections in the United States, it’s pretty certain that most people will be voting on a Tuesday. The custom of voting on a Tuesday in November was established when many Americans were farmers. By November, the growing and harvesting seasons were over making it easier for farmers to leave their work and go vote.
São Paulo – Building on Style
Architecture tours in São Paulo nourish the senses.
SANDRA LAPAGE: THE EMERGENCE OF UNCONSCIOUS
I create sculptures from trash and discarded materials that are often malleable and even wearable and address a series of environmental and behavioral issues.
TRAMONTINA 18
THE BLADE YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED
Vegan “Cheese”
How to make your own healthy spread from treenuts.