Fort Lauderdale, May 23, 2008 – From May 22 – September 7, 2008, the Museum of Discovery and Science invites South Florida to celebrate the Year of the Frog at its new LIVE frog exhibit, Frogs: a chorus of colors. The summer traveling exhibit will introduce visitors to the amazing and colorful world of anurans – the frogs. The exhibit features a colorful assortment of exotic live frogs from all over the world, including some poisonous frogs. During opening weekend, May 23 – 26, 2008, museum guests will meet the exhibit’s Frog Keeper, witness a live frog feeding, participate in a frog dissection, see traditional West African fishing dances and hopping activities for the whole family.

Frogs live almost everywhere, from tropical forests to frozen tundra and scorching deserts. Brilliant orange, bright blue, dazzling red, frogs come in an astonishing array of colors which provides only a glimpse at the remarkable diversity that exists among the frog species inhabiting the globe. Their voices have filled the night with song since the dawn of the dinosaurs. But the chorus is fading. As humans change natural environments, frogs around the world are disappearing. Many efforts are underway to reverse this downward trend globally and in our own backyards.

Frogs: a chorus of colors will allow visitors to experience the beauty of frogs in 15 live frog habitats and 12 interactive stations. Although most people have no aversion to frogs, their beauty and elegance are often overlooked. These amphibians are among the most visually stunning, vocally pleasing and adaptively remarkable life forms on earth. If you’ve never thought of frogs as beautiful, this exhibit will change your mind!

Visitors will learn that not all frogs look like the common American bullfrog. Green or blue, large or small, and smooth or bumpy, 15 varied species of frogs will call the Museum of Discovery and Science home in self-contained, custom habitats featuring waterfalls, rock ledges, live plants, and other nature-inspired settings.

The exhibit allows visitors to get eye-to-eye with frogs from around the world, including gravity-defying tree frogs, chubby bullfrogs, stout toads, elegant dart poison frogs and saucer-shaped ornate horned frogs. The amphibians on display come from Madagascar, China, Africa, Vietnam and other exotic locations. Their biology, natural history, importance to ecosystems and role in human culture also is explored.

At first glance, many visitors may only see green moss when they look into a lush habitat. But with a discerning eye, they’ll soon realize that some of the “moss” has eyes as the Vietnamese mossy frog reveals how these amphibians are masters of disguise.

To the contrary, visitors learn that dart poison frogs use their bright hues to warn predators that they should not be considered as part of the typical food-chain menu. As with many brightly colored species in the natural world, a brightly-colored frog often means it’s hazardous to a predator’s health.

Frogs: A Chorus of Colors includes interactive components that make the exhibition a hands-on, minds-on adventure. From “Froguts” to a “Create a Chorus,” visitors can perform a virtual frog dissection or compose a musical sing-a-long by overlapping a series of recorded frog calls. “Frogsperts” can also test their Frog IQ, check their field of vision against a frog’s, guess the differences between frogs and toads, and watch videos of frogs jumping, swimming, walking, gliding and climbing.

A collection of spectacular, close-up photographs by world-renowned wildlife photographers Joe and Mary Ann McDonald, John Netherton, and Michael and Patricia Fogden are featured in panels alongside the live animals to offer a stunning glimpse into the diversity and habitats of frogs.

Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, an institution accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, created Frogs: A Chorus of Colors. The exhibit is sponsored locally by Ameriprise Financial with media support provided by WSVN.

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Theresa Waldron 954.713.0901 email