Northern California Herps

[Namio]

Firstly, congratulations!

Do you read Chinese? There are a couple of books giving info on Taiwan's frogs and good places to see them. Can't remember the titles though ... and they might be out of print. Okay, forget that ...

I can PM you more exact details closer to the date, when I'm better organised, but there are a few good places either in or very close to Taipei. FuYang Eco Park, near the Linguang MRT stop on the brown line, has at least eight species. The Taipei Green Tree Frog should be breeding there during your visit (it breeds through the winter; most others only start in February or so). There's also a good spot halfway between XinDian and WuLai that I forget the name of, which has loads of cool stuff (ornate narrow-mouthed frog, emerald green tree frog, Taipei green tree frog, Eiffinger's tree frog, etc etc) ... I can send more details later on. There are also lots of good spots in YangMingShan National Park, which is easily accessible and well worth a trip in its own right.

If you have time to get out of Taipei, you could also visit Taroko Gorge NP and other protected areas further south, which gives you the chance of seeing species that don't live in the north. All the salamanders live high in the Central Mountains, around 3,000 metres asl.

As I say, I'll send you more stuff later on. Honest!

Thank you so much Numpty! Yes, I'm fluent in Mandarin and can read & write (not so much anymore). You are getting me very excited because I have not been back for a couple of years and in the past I would just stuff my face with food... now I have a brand new goal! I just have to drag my wife along lol she's not a big fan of cold and slimy frogs but she's been getting better at it. I am nowhere close to the photographer you are but I'm hoping to take some decent photos, too. Ah I wish I can smuggle some frogs back to the States... if it were that easy, haha!

This reminded me of something: The last time I visited my mom in Taipei, Wan Fan District, I saw big lime green toad with no stripes, dots or any other patterns, at night. Would you have any clue on what that species may be. Unfortunately I do not have a photograph of it, and my memory of it is also fading. I just remember a big green toad I saw, about 12-15cm SVL. I found it hopping on the sidewalk next to a community garden in the Wan Fan District (not sure if I spelled it correctly).

[numpty]

This reminded me of something: The last time I visited my mom in Taipei, Wan Fan District, I saw big lime green toad with no stripes, dots or any other patterns, at night. Would you have any clue on what that species may be. Unfortunately I do not have a photograph of it, and my memory of it is also fading. I just remember a big green toad I saw, about 12-15cm SVL. I found it hopping on the sidewalk next to a community garden in the Wan Fan District (not sure if I spelled it correctly).

Well, there are only two toads native to Taiwan ... Bufo bankorensis and Duttaphrynus melanosticus. Both get into the size range you mention, but I've never seen either in a lime green colour. I seem to remember reading that male D. melanosticus can be greenish during the breeding season, but on the other hand this toad has "spectacle" markings around the eyes, and it sounds like you didn't see anything like that. Maybe Google the above species and see if anything grabs you. Good luck!

By the way, I take all my pictures with a fast-deteriorating Casio compact. Strictly point-and-shoot stuff. Decent picture quality is purely accidental and due only to the beauty of the frogs. But thanks anyway!