Golden Mantella
Golden mantellas are small, orange, diurnal frogs from Madagascar. In some ways they are reminiscent of South American poison dart frogs, but there are a number of important differences in their behavior and captive care.
Mitsinjo Captive Breeding Facility
When I first traveled to Madagascar I went straight to Andasibe, the frog capital of the island. Here I met a guide from the community-run conservation organization Mitsinjo who suggested I return to the island and help set up a breeding center to protect the amphibians found in their forest. Though I only intended to stay around 6 months, I ended up living in Andasibe and working on the project for 6 years. Today the project helps protect the Critically Endangered frog Mantella aurantiaca from extinction through a managed breeding effort and...read more
Madagascar
The African island of Madagascar is home to more than 300 species of frogs, over half the world's chameleon species, and extraordinary levels of herpetofaunal endemism—91% of its reptiles and 99% percent of its amphibians occur nowhere else in the world. I first traveled to the island with mantella frogs on my mind but once I arrived I found it was more than just the amphibians that I appreciated. Eventually the village of Andasibe became my home and here, with the community-run conservation organization Mitsinjo, over a period of six...read more
Publications
Books Frogs and Toads: Complete Herp Care Series. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H., 2011. Salamanders and Newts: Complete Herp Care Series. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H., 2009. Tree Frogs: Complete Herp Care Series. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H., 2007. Peer-reviewed Edmonds, D., Dreslik, M.J., Lovic, J.E., Wilson, T.P., Ernst, C.H. 2021. Growing as slow as a turtle: unexpected maturational differences in a small, long-lived species. PLoS ONE 16(11): e0259978. PDF Edmonds, D. 2021. Poison frogs traded and maintained by U.S. private breeders. Herpetological Review 52(4): 779–786. PDF Cunningham, E.P., Edmonds, D., Stalter, L.,...read more
Fruit Flies
Fruit flies are an easy-to-culture food item for small reptiles amphibians. Learn how to care for and culture them in this article