# hello from Madagascar (mantella photos inside)



## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

Half done with my trip, now I go south to photograph a few other species. Today I am resting in the capitol. I will post in more detail when I return!









Mantella aurantiaca









Mantella pulchra









Mantella pulchra









Mantella baroni









Mantella cf milotympanum









Mantella cf milotympanum









Mantella cf milotympanum









Mantella cf milotympanum









Mantella cf milotympanum


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## axolotl (Dec 31, 2006)

Wow very beautifull animals, Do you also take pictures of the environment from which these guys come from, to help inspire future vivariums?


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Looks like an awesome trip--one I have always wanted to do! Have to tell you I am a bit envious. Look forward to hearing more and hopefully viewing more pictures. That is one big Baroni, none of mine are that big. 

One of the most interesting nonfiction books I have read recently is a book called Antipode by a scientist, Heather Heying about her research on Mantellas. A preveiw can be read at http://www.bamboofrog.org/


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

very cool man. Have you seen any Heterixalus species or Phelsuma?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Man, that is one smokin' aurantiaca!


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## steelcube (Mar 17, 2004)

Devin,

Sweet pictures. 

Have you seen where they deposit their eggs? Do they live near flowing water or tiny lake?

I'd like to know how did their tadpoles find their way to a body of water.

BTW, did you find mantella cowanii? hopefully they still exist in the wild.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

rad....find some rubies!


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

Chameleon pics?


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## MegophryidaeMan (Oct 22, 2006)

I wish I was on that trip too! How fun!!


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Great pictures... thanks for sharing.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Beautiful frogs, thanks. John


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

You did bring a temp gun for data collection didn`t you? :lol: 
Awesome pics!


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## OneTwentySix (Nov 11, 2004)

Wow, Devin, looks like you're having an awesome time! Get more photos! =)


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## Nuggular (Apr 8, 2005)

Devin you lucky bastard. Out in the rainforests again to check out the frogs. I wish I had the time and money to do that. 

Hope all continues to go well for you man.


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

So you did find them! You are the Fing MAN. Well good luck with the rest of your trip. UP THE FROG PUNKS!


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## joeyo90 (Nov 5, 2006)

that Mantella cf milotympanum is pretty a pretty cool frog


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Great shots. I noticed the guide wearing a light jacket. Is it cool there this time of year?


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2007)

Very cool pics and frog! :shock: 
Wish I could go and find them myself, just for looksies ofcourse.


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## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

Back in Tana again! They dont call it the rainy season for nothing, wet wet wet. These Malagasy keyboards are difficult to type with so I will elaborate more when I am home in a few days.









M. baroni with interesting legs









One is M. baroni, the other M. madagascariensis. Can you tell? 









I bet you can now!









M. bernhardi









M. bernhardi habitat









M. aurantiaca habitat, site one near Torotorofotsy









small seasonal stream running through the same site









M. baroni habitat, they call from the streamside, but also the surrounding forest









Orange crocea pattern M. cf milotympanum habitat, it is being logged









Yellow/green/blueish M. cf milotympanum habitat, very different, transitional zone. "It will be a rice paddy next year."









The only Heterixalus I found Doug, I dont think I was in the right place for them most of the time. we found this one on a small shrub that was being dried, preparing for tavy. Yikes!

Okay, more to come when I return along with more words!


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## FrankWilliams (Apr 10, 2004)

Have you seen any Mantidactylids down there Devin?


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Nice shots of all the frogs Devin. Lucky you...you were got to see a WILD M. bernhardi! Let us know if you get a chance to see wild cowani.


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2007)

Hi Devin. Excellent photo journal!! The first pic of the M. baroni and M. madagascariensis is cool. The difference is sooo tiny.


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## vignolo (Mar 9, 2005)

Hi

That's a interesting post you launched there Devin!
The M. Pulchra on the first photo set, does in come from the Perinet region, like it's said in Marc's book?

Where the M. Baroni and the M. Madagascariencis found in the same region on the second photo set?

Thanks 
PL


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Looking forward to more posts on your return. 

Are you a scientist doing research and collecting specimens as well as Photos. Otherwise, how do you get two frogs to lie on their backs simultaneously? Was the bottom frog in the first photo baroni? I have Baroni and what were sold to me as mads, but I suspect that they may be pulchra or some hybrid form. Their body shape is different than baroni, a little more like a Dendrobatid. Any ideas on how to distinguish mads from pulchra? 

Maybe I am strange (after all, I am a high school biology teacher and that alone qualifies me) but this is really interesting stuff!


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## Nuggular (Apr 8, 2005)

Mantellas are pretty funny in that when you come near them to touch them, most of the time they freeze up and act dead. My M. M. aurantiaca do this. So it makes for a good photo shoot. 

Thanks again for sharing Devin. As always, nice shots!!!! 

Is the keyboard you are typing on in a different language?

Eat any good plecos this time around? LOL.

Are there any Mantella cf milotympanum available in the Hobby?


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Reedeep - I recommend starting a separate thread on IDing your mantellas. If you have photos, they would be extremely helpful, and we can go into better detail of how to ID species without hijacking this thread.


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## CanadianAmphibian (Jul 27, 2006)

Cool! Must be a good experience.


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## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

Alright, made it back in one piece. What an adventure, it took over a year and a half of saving and planning but was well worth it! I found and photographed every single species I looked for except cowani (was in the Antoetra area for two days searching but had a bad guide and not great information on where to find them, next time). All mantellas found except for bernhardi were near seasonal streams, all of which I asked about dried up completely during the dry season. M. bernhardi was found on the other side of the path from a stream where baroni was, but was found around stagnant pools of water, almost ponds, that had collected because of the rain. I can't make any generalizations about species as a whole, because for the most part i only got to visit a single population of each species. 

The population of aurantiaca I visited contained both red and orange individuals, the other population in the area I was is supposed to be the same. So it seems as though the red and orange aurantiaca are not seperate populations, although there are two other populations south of where I was that I didn't get a chance to see or talk to anyone about.

Tons of Mantidactylus Frank, a really diverse genus. As I sort through my photos I'll make sure to post some of the more interesting ones.

The photo of Mantella baroni and madagascariensis was taking in Ranomafana National Park, where there is a population where both live together. According to the guide, baroni is much more common and the dominant species of the two. I also visited three other populations of baroni, the most common mantella of the trip. 

The M. pulchra photographed is from Vohimana reserve, near Perinet/Andasibe. They are a very diverse species. The ones I visited look a lot like madagascariensis, while others from different parts of Madagascar look nothing like those. I don't really have a definite way to tell madagascariensis apart from pulchra. It's hard to correctly identify any species acquired from the pet trade because we have no idea where they were collected. I guess in general pulchra tend to be more brown or tan than madagascariensis, their ventral sides look really similar. i'll try to come up with a good rule of thumb to follow, just need a little more time to think it over. Anyone else know?

haha, fortunately no plecos in Madagascar John! Many other interesting animals to consume, mostly just giant bowls of rice though and a little part of an animal or vegetable to go along with it.

Alright, hopefully this post clears up some stuff. As I look through photos I'll probably post more. until then,


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Devin-

Glad to hear you returned safely. Hope to hear more about the trip. 

Studying your pictures has caused me to look more deeply into what constitutes a species, a question that has been interesting to me for more than forty years. The more I ponder, the more the concept seems a construct of the human mind. Being a biology teacher, I know the textbook definition, but in the case of mantellas I think maybe the research has not straightened things out yet, ie maybe _pulchra_ and _mads_ are not two different "species" but rather variation with a broad ranging population, something like we see in _pumilio_. What do you think?

Corey-

This is a busy time of the year for me, but eventually I hope to get around to posting pictures. I didn't mean to hijack the thread. I would love to see this one keep going because I am very interested in what guys like Devin have to say, but sometimes if you let them go too long they die.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Ah, but Reedeep, the genetics with some of these species will really make your head spin... different species groups yet they have the same pattern... seems like members of the same species group (most closely related within the genus) will have the most outrageously different colors and patterns... colors and patterns that may be similar to even possibly mimicking members of other species groups...

PDF taxonomy is currently messing. Mantella taxonomy... is pretty much just getting started. Only a few species of the possible species have been described... its a bit unclear about who is related to what and their evolutionary tree due to so many gaps from so many populations that have not been researched... are these frogs the same species? closely related species? even members of the same species group?

We, members of the frog hobby, are seeing a small fraction of what is going on taxonomically. I'm interested to see what will happen to the genus over the next decade... I'm pretty sure at a minimum it will double in size from when I got into the hobby... a few species have been added already since I got into frogs... tip of the iceburg.


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## bluedart (Sep 5, 2005)

That's awesome man! Madagascar is on my "places to visit before I die... or it dies" list. Great pictures, amazing trip!


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## lukebalsavich (Feb 14, 2006)

Awesome trip. Awesome account of said trip. Awesome frog photographs taken during awesome account of awesome trip.

Very glad you had a productive and safe journey!


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Devin,

When you get over you jetlag and caught up with your work, can you post some more details (and Photos) from the trip? I have been interested in Madagascar for a long time and really enjoy reading about adventures taken in far off places. I am sure you have some stories to tell. 

Has anyone ever read Heather Hyeing's book, Antipode? It is in my opinion a fantastic read on this amazing part of the planet.


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

Reedeep said:


> Has anyone ever read Heather Hyeing's book, Antipode? It is in my opinion a fantastic read on this amazing part of the planet.



God damn! A member on teh board was just selling a copy and I was going to buy it but I was to late. So I tried to order one but it is out of print now and when I tried to order a used copy I was told that there werent even any available. I really want to read it. It sounds very much liek like some of my other favorate books.


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## rozdaboff (Feb 27, 2005)

Greg - 

Check Ebay - I just did and there are like 5 copies or so for less than $10.


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## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

Antipode is a good book, a fun read. I think it captures a part of Madagascar from an American point of view well, lots of great stories. Greg, I have to run to the post office on monday anyways, if you want I can mail you my copy, then just send it back when you're done. Email me your address if you want. Otherwise, it's worth owning, so if you can find a used copy go for it.

So it's nice to be back and to have the option not to eat rice for every meal. I sorted through most of my photos. I think I'll post more on my website in the future, but for now here are some.










Boophis luteus - this was one species I really wanted to see. We went out one night and could hear them calling from high in the trees, but they were either too high or on top of leaves and we weren't able to find any. The next night it rained like I've never seen it rain before, and we went out in it and found a number of luteus in the lower levels of one tree calling away. Took this guy back to the bungaloo I was staying in for photographs, then back to his tree.









Boophis madagascariensis I think, but very lightly colored.









Boophis sp. Not sure exactly what species this is yet. I was walking with a guide at night in Ranomafana National Parc when we passed a waterfall. I spotted one of these in a tree, then all of a sudden felt the familiar plop of a tree frog landing on me, reached around my back and pulled a giant Boophis off! The guide shined his light in the particular tree where I saw the first one, only to reveal there probably a good two or three dozen in it, not calling, not amplexing, just hanging out next to the waterfall. 









Boophis rappiodes, a smaller species









Mantella baroni









This is me coming back from finding Mantella bernhardi. The previous day we got to this river after walking for about 4 hours and my guide talked a bunch in Malagasy to our porter, then looked at me and said "okay. swim". It wasn't bad, only to about chest height, so we walked through it. Unfortunately, that night it rained hard, and the water on the way back was well over our heads and had a strong current. Luckily, across the way there were some people herding zebu, and they were kind enough to construct a bridge out of a fallen tree for us to walk across. 









Mantella bernhardi









Mantella bernhardi









So here is the first population of yet to be confirmed Mantella milotympanum I visited. I read about this population in a journal article, but wasn't expecting to actually find it. It consists of individuals that look just like the typical red M. milotympanum from around Fierenana, but also individuals that look almost exactly like red M. crocea. The color varies too, from tan, to orange, to red. Really strange. Most frogs fall somewhere in between the two milotympanum/crocea pattern extremes.




























The next day we went looking for green milotympanum. Someone had said they were at this logging site, so we went there. It was pretty depressing. We found one orange/red milotympanum after searching for probably an hour, and didn't hear any calling at all. the place was all torn up though, not clear cut or anything, but definitely being logged heavily. Here is a photo from the top of the river valley where we found the one yet to be confirmed milotympanum.


















We then continued on to a known population of green cf milotympanum, but that was a good 7 hours away and we didn't bring a tent or anything, so it meant we were going to have to walk back in the night which I didn't really like, it actually was a pretty bad idea now that I think about it. Fortunately, about mid-afternoon we found this strange population which consisted of yellow, yellowish-green, and even a blue mantella! I think the blue one is just an exceptional individual because I didn't see any others like it.









These frogs were confined to a tiny transitional zone between the forested side of a mountain and a big open grassy field. I didn't really explore the area too well, but I walked around a bit, and went maybe 30 feet in one direction - no mantella calls, then the other way - no mantella calls. Within this little transitional zone though the population density was very high, with males calling from on top of fallen logs beneath the cover of ferns. It was a really different habitat than where the other milotympanum were. One of the guys who had been leading me to the known green milotympanum said that this area would be a rice paddy next year. It wouldn't surprise me either, from on top of the mountain we walked down I looked around on the way back, and the valley where those mantellas were was literally the only valley I could see that was not yet a rice paddy.









Can you see a frog in this picture?









It's this one, some unusual Mantidactylus species, possible a new species. 










I told a guy at a resteraunt in Andasibe that I was there to see the frogs. Five minutes later he comes back and tosses a Scaphiophryne and a Boophis species onto my table! Said he caught them out back in his garden. ha.










Uroplatus sikorae









Uroplatus phantasticus









Uroplatus phantasticus

Alright, I hope that isn't too many photos for a post. I'll work on getting the rest of the good ones up on a website in the next few months.


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Devin-

Great stuff! Have you considered getting a slideshow/lecture together for this year's International Amphibian Day or something like that. I think many people would be interested in it and meeting you. There are a few people on this board that have connections with IAD. I hope one of them can get you to do it.

How long where you in Madagascar? What did the people think of an american with such a passion for Herps and such? Did you plan the whole trip yourself? Is December/January the best time to visit? Did you have any other issues with safety other than your night walk? Can you give us some ideas of costs and how to get started on planning a similar trip?

I hope not too many questions for one post.


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## mr-repti (Nov 25, 2006)

Cool picz


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Great stuff thanks for sharing...


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## Guest (Jan 29, 2007)

Wonderful Amphibians!!! Great reptiles! Nice trip. Thanks for sharing!!!!!!


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## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

I hope I can make IAD this year! I couldn't last because it was being held the weekend before finals, but was able to skip out for IAD 2005. Maybe if I can do a talk I can pull it in with my courses somehow, making it academic so I have an excuse and can reschedule exams?! now there's an idea...

I was in Madagascar for 23 days. Most of it was paid for by saving money from selling frogs - sell frogs to see frogs! While saving I researched where particular species were, and then just bought a ticket, got a hotel room for the night I arrived, and went. Then I navigated around with bad french to towns near certain populations I read about, pretty much winging it each day. 

Most traveling was done by taxi brousse, which translates to "bush taxi". Usually they were these vans designed for maybe 11 passengers, but out fitted with extra seats to cram in 20 or more. Other times they were rusty pickup trucks with wooden benches in the back to sit on, but if those were all full you got the floor, sometimes they were just cars. We somehow crammed 9 people and an infant into a car people here wouldn't fit more than 4 into. I did a little hitchhiking too, which worked surprisingly well.

I think most Malagasy thought I was nuts, actually all of them did. White people who go to Madagascar are usually ignorant rich French people on vacation, who want to rest on the beach and then maybe go to a park for a day and see a lemur. When you don't fit that stereotype you are weird. Americans make up something like 3% of the tourist industry, so it was unusual just to be from the states, let alone photograph frogs. The people who worked for the parks were used to dealing with researchers, so I don't think they thought I was so unusual, but when I was traveling or just having some downtime and talking with someone I got a lot of laughs and curious smiles.

I never felt unsafe, at least not anymore than i do walking down a street I don't know well here. The Malagasy are the nicest people in the world. The guide books say robbery is common in the capitol but I didn't have problems, even went out at night a bit and was fine. Once you get out into rural Madagascar you feel completely safe, although being a spoiled american you don't always feel comfortable. To generalize from the short period of time I was there, the Malagasy are soft-spoken but very warm people, extremely laid back and about as flexible as it gets, I felt very safe around them. 

This time of year is the best time to go for frogs because it is the "cyclone season". Lots of water = lots of frogs! Plus, because it isn't the tourist season (June - August I think) things are cheap and you aren't surrounded by a bunch of other foreigners. 

If you can get together the money the rest is easy. Traveling and living in Madagascar is cheap - hotels for $6-$10/night, you can eat for a day for around $3, guides cost about $20 to $30 a day, not bad at all. If you take taxi brousse it cuts cost more. I never paid more than $6 for rides that were sometimes 250+ km. What is expensive though is the plane ticket, and unfortunately there isn't really a cheap alternative. I did this trip by planning here and then just playing it by ear there. The way things work in Madagascar is that you can't really stick to a schedule or anything, and if you do you will end up unhappy because it doesn't work. Instead, you just have to let the chaos direct you and attempt to find frogs where you end up. Having money helps, and when people know this, things get done and organized well enough.

I know, long post. Thanks for the interest and for reading!


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Devin, you are about to become the official tour guide of Dendroboard to Madgascar. Get ready to take a group of people next year. Haha.

Excellent thread. Everytime you make a post in this thread, I read it like I'm reading my favorite book. Keep coming with the info! Madagscar is such a mystery to me.


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

Devin Edmonds said:


> The way things work in Madagascar is that you can't really stick to a schedule or anything, and if you do you will end up unhappy because it doesn't work. Instead, you just have to let the chaos direct you !


That was like my experience and im sure it was the same in for you in Peru. Thats why im all about the long trips. So you can take your time if shit goes down (and it will) you have time to work it out and still enjoy your time while you work things out.


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Judging by the number of views, lots of people are interested in what you have to say. I look forward to future installments. You write well and tell a good story. Did you keep a travel journal? Maybe someday this will lead to a book...or at least an article in some publication. I would read it. 

Did you travel alone? Was the trip purely for fun or was there a school component? You got some good pictures. What kind of equipment did you bring?

I am going to try to go to IAD 2007 (been to most of them). I would attend your presentation. Hopefully someone will contact you and get you to do it. Sounds like you are willing and I bet your school would encourage it. Now we just have to get the powers that be to see that it would be well attended. Maybe a show of hands.


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## Nuggular (Apr 8, 2005)

You got alot of gohonaes Devin. To wing a trip to another country. Were you solo on this mission?

I have gained even more respect for you after reading this entire post. Everything I have read has enlightened me and given me some really good info as to what to do when I finally get to take a trip like this one.


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## vignolo (Mar 9, 2005)

Hi Devin,

I'm waiting for this post to end, then print all that precious stuff, bind it and put it in a locked case !

You told that you had difficult in french while talking with Malagasy people, next time, bring me with you and I'll be your personnal translator 

Also, have you heard about the QMM project starting in Madacascar? I'm talking about that because the compagny I'm working for has found a mine and is beginning to exploit it soon. They are suppose to rebuilt every single area they destroy for the production of TiO2. They are also building a harbour and starting program to help the population there.

Thanks
PL


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## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

I have to apologize for neglecting to reply until now! Things got crazy here, and it took a while to get my photos up. Anyways, if you'd like to see more, you can find them at http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/gall ... car01.html and http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/gall ... car03.html



> Did you travel alone? Was the trip purely for fun or was there a school component? You got some good pictures. What kind of equipment did you bring?


Yeah, this was just done for fun, although I'm getting a couple credits for it too. 

I did travel alone between towns, but once I got somewhere and made some friends or found a guide I spent most of the time with them.

I use an Olympus SP-550. It's small and light which is important for when you're walking long distances, and has a good enough macro setting to photograph frogs.


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## insularexotics (May 3, 2005)

Wow Devin! Awesome pics. I hope to get there before it's all gone.

How many times did the Sanzinia nail you? :lol: 

You should DEFINITELY give a talk at IAD. The heck with finals!


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Devin,

I saw on another thread that you will be giving a talk at IAD...Congrats. When will you know what time slot you are in?


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Devin is going to be presenting in the saterday night talks... I don't think the exact times will be known until IAD weekend.


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Thanks Corey...bet you had something to do with it. Looking forward to talking to you again too. I have not met Devin yet, but was very impressed with what he shared with us here. I hope a lot of people show up for his talk.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

:roll: Me? Never...


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## Devin Edmonds (Mar 2, 2004)

Thanks guys, looking forward to it!


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## Reedeep (Jul 6, 2005)

Do you know yet when you will be doing your presentation at IAD?


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## insularexotics (May 3, 2005)

Check out the IAD website. 
http://www.intlamphibday.org/Welcome.asp
Look under events.


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