A Right Frog-Strangler Rain

Day 170: Day before yesterday, we had what my mother would have called "a right frog-strangler of a rain." 1.68" registered in my pluviometer which by no means was a record here, but it was still a substantial amount. It turned the pasture into a lake, filled all the ditches, swelled rivers and streams to near flood stage, and of course brought out that rarest of frogs, the Round-Eyed Refrigerans.

Refrigerans magnetus is unusual among amphibians in that the pupils of the eyes are circular rather than a horizontal or vertical slit. The reasons for this physical anomaly are unknown, although some speculate that it may have to do with the frog's preference for artificial light. These creatures are drawn to kitchens where they attach themselves to freezers and refrigerators (hence the Latin name) and emit a mating call not unlike the humming sound made by the motors of those appliances. The above specimen was discovered in natural surroundings, and quite unnaturally for the species. I would postulate that the unseasonally cool temperatures in the area may be encouraging these rare frogs into habitat not normally utilized.