Critter Love: A state with no amphibian is no state at all

North Carolina has more than its share of official state symbols, including a fruit (the Scuppernong grape), a bird (the cardinal), a carnivorous plant (Venus flytrap) and a rock (granite – hard, unyielding, you get the picture).

But until now, despite the fact that our state is home to some of the temperate world’s greatest amphibian diversity, we have not had a state amphibian. I can hear you gasp. What is a state without an official amphibian? What, indeed. We have a state dance (the shag), so how did we get this far with no frog or salamander to pin our collective aspirations to?

Well, let it be known that last spring, state representatives set out to remedy that fact. I’ll grant you that picking a state amphibian may not sound like a high priority when you compare it to other issues facing us, such as infant mortality, unemployment, lack of access to health care, the long shadow of the avian flu and a crumbling highway system. But in fact, it’s as simple as introducing a bill and having a bunch of white guys in suits sign it. No lengthy debates, no tricky appropriations, just pick an amphibian and be done with it, end of story. 

Apparently, it’s not that easy. It turns out that the state is full of amphibian partisans, each with their own list of favorites. For every say, five bullfrog enthusiasts, there are two or three people out there who are ga-ga about the lesser siren, Fowler’s toad or seepage salamander. It can get ugly.

The amphibian that lawmakers first settled on, Lithobates (formerly Rana) catesbeianus, the American bullfrog, might have seemed a no-brainer, since bullfrogs are emblematic of the Southern summer, with their insistent jug-o’-rum calls carrying on all night from the marshes and ponds and the other dampish spots they favor. But bullfrogs are ubiquitous. They’re not specific to North Carolina, and in fact live pretty much all over the eastern and middle of the continent, north to Nova Scotia and west to the Rocky Mountain front. In other parts of the country where they’ve been introduced, bullfrogs actually have earned a thuggish reputation, eating more than their share of frogs, songbirds, bugs and even bats, and displacing endemic frogs in the process. 

Democracy is all about choice, and when it comes to amphibians, the choices are many. And while I love a bullfrog as well as anyone (especially their tadpoles, and best of all when they sprout those dangly little legs), I’d encourage you to take a look at some of the alternatives the North Carolina Herpetological Society has put forward to that mean ol’ Lithobates catesbeianus. For starters, consider the pine barrens tree frog, Brimley’s chorus frog, the marbled salamander, and my own personal fave, the hellbender, which, at two feet plus, is as big as any salamander should get. (One of the dialectical names for it, “snot otter,” is pretty seductive, too.)

Stand for something. Visit the North Carolina Herpetological Society homepage and cast your vote for the amphibian you believe best represents our state.
— Kent Priestley, staff reporter

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

10 thoughts on “Critter Love: A state with no amphibian is no state at all

  1. Instead of some slimy little animal, I would like to nominate a true American amphibian hero of WWII, the DUKW (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUKW ).

    Now THAT’s a nice state amphibian and the governor could use it to tour the swamps of Eastern North Carolina, too.

    PLUS, it is an endangered species, now being surplus and all, eh?

  2. back in the 1960s/70s, some guy used to have a DUKW sitting in front of his store on Hendersonville Road, and you could clamber around in it. I did.

    DUKW for State Amphibian!

  3. Yeah, just ask any DUKW (pronounced ‘DUCK’) that served in the Pacific during WWII… machine gun fire, artillery creating spouts of water as you sail in toward the beach on a Japanese-held island… it, indeed, ain’t easy being green.

    Salute the DUKW’s valiant service by making it the state amphibian of North Carolina.

  4. Ralph Roberts in the house! URTV wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if it weren’t for Roberts down-home programs. I mean, the guy makes driving around Alexander seem interesting!

    That said, I’m a fan of the Hellbender. But do they make good pets? I must know.

  5. Yes, because what this country needs is just a few more war monuments and occasions to deify war and the machinery of death.

    Why don’t we just make a 5.56mm cartridge our national symbol already and remove all doubt….someone could design a new crest with it surrounded by Hooters girls standing on the bodies of some dead Arabs. At least it would remove the ambiguity

Leave a Reply to Ralph Roberts ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.