Odd occurrence. I was aware of severe toxin levels in stressed gray tree frogs after handling one that had been hit by a car and inadvertently touching my lips and nose a short time later. The result was surreal, and ended with fifteen minutes of my diaphragm spasming like a jackhammer, making breathing almost impossible. I've survived numerous venomous snakebites without antiserum (allergy) but sat at the side of the road embarassed that I might die from accidental gray treefrog poisoning, lol.

I have some ribbon snakes, most switched over to scented pinkies. They are fed toads, tadpoles, treefrogs, even red efts and newts from my own ponds until they switch over. I have some baby ribbons who have tripled in size since birth a few weeks ago eating newly metamorphosed toads, tadpoles and salamander larvae of various species. They are too small to switch over to scented pinkies yet.Yesterday I collected a number of newly metamorphosed grey treefrogs (bright green, tail still evident), and fed them to the ribbons, which they ate eagerly. ALL of them died but one, several regurgitated before death, all were in obvious distress, bodies contorted and twisted up, several died biting their own bodies or the bodies of siblings. These same babies snakes have eaten newly transformed red efts, small redbacks and slimys without any sign of poisoning- ribbons are notoriously resistant to amphibian toxins- and my adults have eaten adult gray treefrogs- but died within hours of eating the gray treefrog metamorphs.

Has anyone out there done studies of toxin levels and/or changes in toxins during the various stages of amphibian development? This could be significant for research medically and ecologically. Also, is this a localized thing? Are our local ribbons susceptible while other populations are resistant? I am loathe to try feeding the metamorphs to larger wild caught ribbons to see if they are resistant. Is it a local effect in the young of our local gray treeforgs?

God, I love nature. Been at this 5 decades and I just find twenty more questions for every answer I get!