Abstract:
Beane discusses the gopher frog, a creature that few North Carolinians have ever heard of, let alone seen. There are three species in the South--the Florida gopher frog, the dusky gopher frog of the Gulf Coast, and the Carolina gopher frog. The Carolina frog has symmetrically arranged warts that give a cobblestone texture to its skin. All three species enter the water only to breed; otherwise, they spend the rest of their lives deep in burrows. As with many other species, destruction of ponds and habitats is making the gopher frog extremely rare in its normal range.