Frogs on a Plane

Abstract

![Figure][1] CREDIT: PETER HOEY In the early days, one of the subjects of our research was the Engystomops frog, a tiny creature known for its brown pustular skin ([1][2]). When the lab moved from New York City to California in 1971, a young assistant named Bill was entrusted with transporting the frog colony to its new home. After painstakingly sifting through all the dirt in our “Little Panama” culture room, he placed the frogs in aquaria. He decided that it would be safer to carry the frogs onto the airplane with him than to trust them to checked luggage. So the morning of the flight, he carefully put the frogs into plastic bags with water and air, and then placed each bag into his carry-on suitcase. Unfortunately, despite his meticulous planning, there was one thing he forgot to take into account. As soon as the plane took off, the change in air pressure caused the bags to burst. Of course, Bill couldn't help opening the carry-on to see how bad the situation was. When he saw what had happened, he asked every flight attendant he could find for glasses of water that he could use to refill and retie the bags. But he was too late: Out jumped the frogs. Bill and the startled flight attendants raced around the plane, crawling under seats and down the aisles to apprehend the little creatures. Baffled passengers looked on, trying to determine the source of the commotion. Fortunately, there was a happy ending to this little adventure. Eventually, the frogs were caught and transported safely to our California lab, where they would prosper for many years to come. 1. 1.[↵][3]Search for Engystomops pustulosus on ; don't miss the mating call!. [1]: pending:yes [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1. in text