Do you know what that sound is, Highness? Those are the Shrieking Frogs.
I know it’s not Tuesday. But when I heard about this one, I just had to pass it along to you. This is real great. Remember how a few weeks ago I alerted you to the danger of the Gambian Pouch Rat in Florida? Well, not to be outdone, Hawaii has its own unique invader: the cocqui frog, better known as …the SHRIEKING FROG! (cue scary music).
Apparently these little buggers sneaked over to the Big Island on a shipment of tropical plants in Puerto Rico and they’ve been keeping residents awake ever since. But I have good news and bad news for you Hawaiians that are forced to deal with this. The good news is there is something the frogs are more interested in than shrieking. The bad news: it’s reproducing at an astronomical rate. And who can blame them? Hawaiian nights are gorgeous. Why do you think so many newlyweds go there to shriek, eat spiders, and provide competition for native birds and fauna?
The Mayor of Hawaii is taking this very seriously. He has asked for $2 million to control the spread of the infestation. They’ve already tried spraying citric acid solution, but that only made the frogs shinier and gave them an incredible immune system.
Naturally, Florida officials have offered the world’s only “deercat”* to help “solve” the problem. But insiders say this offer is more to appease the beast’s demand for vacation time than it is to help fellow man. Since the offer was made, Hawaii has raised their defense level to Code Orange.
The frogs themselves are coin-sized and named after their high-decibel “ko-KEE, ko-KEE” chirp. I tell you, nature is great. I know if I was in Hawaii, I’d be out every night with a tennis racket swinging for the tree tops. But half a world away, I can only chuckle.
People often say, when God gives you lemons, make lemonade. This is great advice for making the best of an apparent bad situation. Let’s make the best. So pass your glass to Hawaii for a tall one of Frogade.
*see blog entry 1-4-05 “You Dirty Rat”
Apparently these little buggers sneaked over to the Big Island on a shipment of tropical plants in Puerto Rico and they’ve been keeping residents awake ever since. But I have good news and bad news for you Hawaiians that are forced to deal with this. The good news is there is something the frogs are more interested in than shrieking. The bad news: it’s reproducing at an astronomical rate. And who can blame them? Hawaiian nights are gorgeous. Why do you think so many newlyweds go there to shriek, eat spiders, and provide competition for native birds and fauna?
The Mayor of Hawaii is taking this very seriously. He has asked for $2 million to control the spread of the infestation. They’ve already tried spraying citric acid solution, but that only made the frogs shinier and gave them an incredible immune system.
Naturally, Florida officials have offered the world’s only “deercat”* to help “solve” the problem. But insiders say this offer is more to appease the beast’s demand for vacation time than it is to help fellow man. Since the offer was made, Hawaii has raised their defense level to Code Orange.
The frogs themselves are coin-sized and named after their high-decibel “ko-KEE, ko-KEE” chirp. I tell you, nature is great. I know if I was in Hawaii, I’d be out every night with a tennis racket swinging for the tree tops. But half a world away, I can only chuckle.
People often say, when God gives you lemons, make lemonade. This is great advice for making the best of an apparent bad situation. Let’s make the best. So pass your glass to Hawaii for a tall one of Frogade.
*see blog entry 1-4-05 “You Dirty Rat”
posted by AaronJLohr | 1:49 PM
3 Comments:
In showing my sadistic side, I once spent an entire summer hanging out at a friend's pool. We'd all get together, pull the tree frogs off the side of the pool and proceed to throw them full speed at the beach ball floating on the water five feet away. They made a nice popping bounce sound. And boy could they fly....
That reminds me of a story about my father. We had an above ground pool right behind the house when I was growing up. Well, one night, around 1 am or so a tree frog perches itself on the rim of the pool and proceeds to croak in the direction of my parents' window. CROAK. CROOOAAK. My dad tosees and turns, and then he jumps out of the bed and heads to the basement. He emerges with a Louisville Slugger Softball Bat and goes outside. Well that frog was in mid-CROAAK, when he went on a trip to various positions in the back yard. After that the frogs left us alone, and we left them alone.
I'm both shocked that the frog didn't hop away prior to said meeting the Slugger and awed that he didn't break into a thousand tiny frog pieces. I guess I'm flat-out impressed.
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