Two New Challengers Have Appeared!
Aside from the folks on Discord, I've been keeping this quiet for a bit, but it's finally time to introduce the 2 newest members of my household: Aloy and Kotallo!
They are both Kaloula pulchra (aka "Asian painted frog," "banded bullfrog," "Malaysian bullfrog," or the most popular, "Chubby Frog.") They have a lifespan of around 10 years in captivity, and are primarily nocturnal. Males have a black throat, while females' throats are white. They get their names because of the way they puff themselves up as a defense against predators, making themselves harder to swallow.
Aloy is the larger of the two (she's slightly older) and has a slightly more pinkish tinge to her side-stripes than Tallo. She is brave and bold as can be; when I gave them their initial checkup after arrival, she spent the entire time puffed up and glaring at me in indignation. She then did everything she could to try to escape their temporary plastic holding bin while Kotallo looked on in silence. She's a heckin' chonker, and ate all the crickets I offered her before exploring every inch of the terrarium. (She also dug under the roots of a plant that was in a spot she wanted to hide and pushed it over, so I relocated it and put a fake plant there for her to shove around all she wants.)
Kotallo, the younger and smaller of the two, has a slightly more yellowish tinge to his sides. He is much more cautious than his brazen "Commander" and follows her everywhere she goes. He isn't comfortable eating with an audience yet, unlike Aloy (who doesn't seem to care if I'm dangerous to her or not, as long as I'm offering crickets.) My frog-cam did catch him wandering around with her in the dark last night and bathing in the water bowl, so he seems healthy, just a bit shy. "Exercising an appropriate level of caution in these unfamiliar surroundings" I'm sure he would say.
He didn't puff up during his checkup, but chose to try a tactical urine spray instead as a distraction.
The face of a chubby frog who has no regrets about peeing on me.
("And I'll do it again. Strike true as the Ten.")
This was the first couple of minutes in their new home. As you can see, their personalities are already on display. Aloy (left) wastes no time moving around and starting to climb and explore, while Kotallo (right) waits for her to make a move before he follows. You can just see him starting to burrow himself into the dirt near the end while she climbs one of the plants (these guys bury themselves in the mud all day long before coming out to eat at night.)
Welcome to the family, Aloy and Tallo! And thank you to @eclectus and your adorable Frogtallo art for giving me the initial name inspo!
@noshirdalal (I wish Ashly was on Tumblr so I could tag her too!)