#coqui frog

[great-and-small]

Every amphibian is special but some of them are just ✨ magic ✨

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A coqui frog in the central mountains of Puerto Rico.

Benji Jones/Vox

[electrathekat]

Did you know?

This little itty bitty frog here is the Coqui. I have some information to share about these since I've seen quite a few claims about these. The Coqui frogs live in Hawaiʻi, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

These frogs are only invasive in Hawaiʻi and Florida. I wanted to share that these frogs are not invasive in Puerto Rico, and have allegedly been stated to have lived relatively peacefully in the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Now I could be incorrect about the Virgin Islands, so don't quote me and feel free to fact check me.)

Sadly, many tourists have been visiting Puerto Rico and killing the very much native Coqui frogs there. The Coqui have lived there for at least 150 years, as that's when they were first recorded to exist by José Félix de Arroyo de la Cuesta.

Please note that if you travel somewhere, and you're not familiar with wildlife (the natural flora and fauna of an ecosystem, mind you,) don't assume it's okay to put down tiny and defenseless creatures just because they inconvenience you.

Note: I figured if I'm sharing my art and silly frog memes, I might also share some awareness and knowledge as well. Travel safely and take care!

[wheremyscalesslither]

The lightest hawaii coqui frog I’ve ever seen! He was fighting another coqui male.

[azulotus]

mousey and coqui

[babycwunch]

Coqui art by babycwunch

[gsstories]

The Coqui 'issue'

Happy Pride to everyone! I am like 4, 3 days late to say so but like, I'm tired af these days. Anyway, as you see the title, I am gonna be talking about coquis.

You may ask, what is a coqui? This is a coqui:

Small, harmless, and with a very cute and (at least for me and most of every Puertorican) soothing with its lil sound.

Then what is the issue with it?

Nothing. Like, absolutely NOTHING. There is no problems with them, everyone respects it, its native to the land and a symbol of the island of Puerto Rico, has been for a very long time. The issue is the STUPID and MORONIC tourists who want to get rid of them.

This reddit user deleted their account by now due to the backlash most likely but the damage has been done already. People are outraged and have started to speak up for the frog. And as you can see, so am I, because I am Puertorican, lived here my whole life.

I ain't sugar coating jack. I understand that some people do not like the sounds of animals at night when trying to sleep but if your only solution is to spray and kill a native animal, a native ENDANGERED and LEGALLY PROTECTED animal, then you are a fucking idiot and should stay off the island. And I am pretty sure the one who was complaining about the coqui being loud and annoying was a gringo.

I have had many encounters with coqui, quite a few live in my backyard and my ma has found some in our washing machine. And what does she do? She gets them out of there and puts them in a tree. Simple as that. Because they are not a parasite, they are part of the land and they were here first and should be the ones who stay when we all inevitably die, okay?

If you are to come and travel to Puerto Rico, be my guest, just leave the damn frogs alone. Get earplugs, or use a white noise machine or just anything to drown out the coqui if their sounds really do bother you. And if you can't do that and try to kill em, well, I hope you get sprayed too. With bear spray. And get set on fire. And die, just like how you would do so to the harmless, and small frogs just for the sake of silence. :)

[carrasconati]