Day 1 Critters: Froggy

Okay, every time Africa comes up inevitably someone asks me the critters-question:
What are the bugs like?
Aren't there spiders there?
How about the bugs?
How big are they anyway?
Are there LOTS of bugs?

Regardless of what I say in response, they almost always reply:
Oh! I could never live there!
Wow, I don't know how you do it.
Eww, gross!

I know it will not comfort any of you, but I will say anyway that I am a pretty dedicated arachnophobic (the movie trailers from that movie-which-shall-remain-nameless are with me to this day). AND I have seen more spiders at my parents house in the US than here in Central Africa (no offense Mom and Dad, but there really was a couple years of true infestation). If I can live here, anyone could. Seriously, the cockroaches here are nothing to those in Texas from what I hear. Deep in the forest the biggest spider we ever saw was about hand-size anyway (and that's not where we're living btw).

So hopefully you are past being grossed out and able to enjoy some of the creatures we've discovered in this past year. I will endeavor to post a picture of a new 'critter' for one week. Should be more fun than gross. But I have two boys... what was that about snails and puppy dog tails? What can I say?

So often Joel (aka Master Tracker) has caught some living thing or other and wants to keep it. Seriously, this happens about once a week. The kid knows no fear. Often it was these cute little frogs:

See?

Cute.

Little.

Froggy.

Then last month we found HIM:

Yes, in our backyard.

No, it's not pregnant.

It really is that big.

The video of the boys chasing it around the back porch to the screams of their sister will have to wait for an hour of high bandwidth.

Critter number One: Bullfrog.